Social Spark

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

SocialSpark

I just don't have quite enough on my plate these days to keep me up all 24 hours of the day, so when I saw a that a blog friend of mine (Mommy Loves Stilettos) had signed up for this, I decided to check it out! I mean, really, sleep is overrated.

I am pretty new at the whole bogging thing, I like to write posts about my day to day things. I also like to do reviews and giveaways but you really need to work hard to get your ratings up there so that companies are interested in you (and vice versa). That's where SocialSpark fits in. It is super easy to sign up, it only took me about 5 minutes and they don't ask for all kinds of obscure info or require your google ranking. After you are all signed up you can take a look around the site at all the different opportunities that are available. You can even find a whole bunch of other blogs that participate in Social Spark and see what type of posts they are writing.

Do I think I am going to make a million bucks and be able to quit my day job? Umm, no. I do think that I will be able to earn a nice amount of cash and use it to help with Christmas shopping....or a massage...hmmm.

 I have my own profile page, that I set up the way I want and now all the new friends I'm going to make can contact me in one spot :)

If you are interested I would love for you to check it out and make some spending money with me!

Code of Ethics

Sign up for SocialSpark

Emerson Creek Pottery Review

Emerson Creek Pottery is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, sitting on land that was originally a 500 acre land grant from the King of England! Then in 1825 the land was acquired by a Silas Wade, who built a a two room, two story log cabin which is now the home of Emerson Creek Pottery.

Priscilla Palmer and Jim Leavitt founded Emerson Creek Pottery in 1977 . Since that time, their pottery has been featured in places like Mt. Vernon, Monticello and the Smithsonian Institute. 

Each piece of pottery is formed from clay made on site, hand made, hand painted and fired in a glass kiln. While they currently feature 14 different lines, each piece is unique. The artists that handpaint the designs, practice over and over, committing each brush stroke to memory. No stencils of any kind are used. All pieces are dishwasher, microwave safe, non-toxic and Eco friendly.

Emerson Creek makes dinnerware, bakeware, baby safe dishes, bathroom accessories and so many more with nature inspired hand painted images. You can even have items customized if you would like! I keep going back and looking at all the items, I think a really nice set of salt shakers is calling me name!

I was sent the Wisteria Dip Cooler to review. From the start you can tell that this is a company that cares about the products that they send out. My dip cooler was wrapped in bubble wrap which was padded with old paper, and cocooned in styrofoam peanuts. Seriously, this was so well shipped that I would be amazed if something could happen to it! 

After I unwrapped it from it's cocoon, I discovered a very sturdy piece of pottery, with beautiful wisteria flowers painted on it. The craftsmanship is amazing, it is so symmetrical it's hard to believe someone did it by hand, I know I certainly don't have that type of skill.

This beautiful bowl is just perfect for keeping your chip or veggie dip cool during any get together.

Simply remove the scalloped top, drop a couple of ice cubes in the bowl and pop the top right back on with your dip in it. You will have chilled dip in a gorgeous piece of art! You could also leave off the top and  use the bottom as a serving dish for veggies!

Buy it:

 You can purchase this piece for $27.50 here, or make it a complete set by adding the dip mix, made with local organic herbs for $30.00.

Emerson Creek Pottery is offering all of Carrie's Rambles Readers a discount. Simply enter the code:cr710 for a 15% discount of a $25 purchase. Good thru the end of July.

Follow Me Back Tuesdays!

Woo hoo! It's that time of the week again! Gotta admit I love Follow Me Back Tuesdays!
Our ever so lovely hosts: Survey Junkie,Little Yaya's, Review Retreat  & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog..  

 

How it Works

Follow the 4 Hostesses #'s 1 -4 ( leave them a comment so they can follow u back ) 
Add your blog to the list ( only have to add once )
Grab our button to add to your blog post
 Start to follow as many blogs as you would like ( Leave a comment so they can follow you back )
And when you receive a comment from a new follower  return the favor & follow them back

Easy as pie, right?

Great! See you there!

Also, just a little not to my regular readers, sorry if I have been neglecting you, it's not on purpose! I seem to be having some internet issues at home, hopefully I should have them all fixed up!

Alight.com Review

(Company background is repeated content. Review and Giveaway are brand new)

All of us ladies are not made the same, but go into a department store and all the clothing is made the same. Looking for plus size clothing that is fashionable and not shaped like a muu muu is even worse! Irritability over ill fitting and poorly made clothing drove me to the internet where I discovered alight.  Alight sells plus size clothing for every occasion, jeans, tops, skirts, evening dresses, sportswear and more!

Dark Arts Dress

Secret Garden Top

Aren't they Great?

Alight.com launched in 1999 and since then has grown into one of the leading specialty e-tailers for plus size women! Carrying almost 100 brands with over 900 styles, in sizes ranging from 14W to 30W, you can't not find something to love! Not to mention, alight.com also carries the largest selection of contemporary and junior plus designers, including Blue Plate, pink.girl, Angels, Abby Z, Ruby Rox, Fashion Love, ToTo, Mecca Femme, Pink Apple, and Sele!

My Review:

I was lucky enough to receive a summer sundress in the mail from alight.com. I haven't had a sundress since I was skinny *sigh* so I was really happy to try this one out. The colors are nice and subtle, mostly blues and tans. The fabric of the dress is a soft breathable cotton that doesn't wrinkle too much when you sit. The straps over the shoulder are a decent width and adjustable. The bodice is a pleated stretchy material. I have to be honest and say that while I do like the dress, it is not something I would I have chosen for myself. I am big busted and always have been no matter what size the rest of me is/was. This dress is not meant to have a bra underneath it and I just do not feel comfortable going in public with 38/40 F size breasts unrestrained. I think perhaps if you have a little less on top, it would be fine, because the fabric is very thick and there is no see through or "poke" through. Or heck, if you are just as big and are comfotable, then more power to you, it's just my preference and nothing to do with the quality of the dress itself! I do however enjoy wearing it at home, especially in the 90 degree 100% humidity we have been having.

WIN A TOP!

Now for the totally exciting part! Since we had so many entries last month, Alight is going to give another one of my readers a fabulous top!  (top will be of alight.com's choice)

How do you enter? Easy!

The Mandatory entry, which must be completed for those bonus entries to count, requires you to sign up for alight.com emails! After you have done that, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you signed up and what size top you would need if you won! 

Bonus Entries!

* Like alight.com on Facebook, leave them a post letting them know I sent ya! +1 entry

* Like Carrie's Rambles on Facebook and share this giveaway on your page. 

Leave a link for me +1 to Like +2 for sharing

*Follow alight.com on twitter +1 entry

*Follow Me on twitter and tweet
may be done 3x per day (at least 1 hour apart). +1 each
Win a Gorgeous Plus Size Top from Alight.com @alightcom @yorkiemomma Ends 7/27 #win 

http://bit.ly/d9miK9

 

may be done as many times as you want but not more than once per hour. +1 each

*Follow Carrie's Rambles on Google Friend Connect +1 entry

*Blog about this and tell me where I can find it +5 entries

*Grab my button and leave me a link to it +3 entries

*Sign up for my emails. Must be verified. +2 entries

*Add me to your blogroll +2 entries

Contest ends at 11:59 pm 7/27. Winner will be chosen by Random.org, notified by email and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. If name drawn has not complied with the rules stated a new winner will be chosen. 

disclaimer: I received an article of clothing for review purposes.No compensation was offered to host this giveaway and I was under no obligation to do so.

Alight.com Winner (month #1)

We have a winner for Month #1 of the alight.com top giveaway!

 Congrats Sherrie!~ I just sent you an email,  please respond in the next 48 hours!

Thanks to everyone who entered, don't give up just yet, another alight.com giveaway will be going up today or tomorrow!

Monday Minute! 6/28/10

I'm hooking up with Ian at The Daily Dose of Reality and his ever lovely co-host Jana from Boobies, Babies & a Blog. If you haven't met Ian yet, you really need to, trust me :) Plus he has the list up for the raffles that will benefit Monkey! Do you know Jana? Wow, just reading her blog makes me tired. I have no idea where the woman gets her energy.....maybe from her Gram?

Anyways, answer the questions and enter the linky! Who knows, you might get lucky enough to be a co-host!

Has anyone you've known personally lived to at least 100?
Nope, seems like my family kicks the bucket pretty young.

What material possession do you value the most?
My house. It's the house my grandparents saved and scrimped and built in 1949. It's the house I was born and spent the first year of my life in. It's the place where every Sunday we had dinner. It's the place every holiday was spent until Grandma lost her battle with cancer. I've lived alot of places in the last 12 years, some really great, some not so great but the day we moved our stuff into my grandparents house, I knew it was home.

What do you think happens to us after we die?
I really don't know. Some days I think heaven, some days I think maybe we are reincarnated, some days I think nothing......


Most embarrassing item in your house?
errrmm.....I probably can't go with adult toys, since I review those online......so maybe the collection of empty wine bottles in the basement?

If you could rename yourself, what would your name be?
I'd probably keep Carrie, nothing wrong with it......but I do like Gabrielle :)

***Don't forget that Mission Monkey entries for the big raffle are being taken until midnight est, June 30th.  All 70+ raffle items are listed here.   The winners will be announced starting Tuesday July 6th over the blog as well as email***

Now don't forget to visit one of the hosts to link up!

Dezign With a Z review

I recently had the opportunity to do a product review for Dezign With A Z. They produce some of the most stylish vinyl wall designs available now. Their wall decals are based on designs by talented young artists in the US and Europe creating a plethora of artwork to choose from. They boast one of the largest collections of artwork, even super sized wall art and a palette of over 24 colors to customize the design you choose! You can even upload a picture of your own and have them create a custom piece just for you!

DeZign wall decals are also:
- a modern & affordable way to decorate your home or even your office space (tell your boss it's time to get rid of these cheap looking corporate paintings!).
- fun and so easy to install! Just check the demo video for yourself!
- removable wall decals : even after years you can remove them without damaging surfaces.
- similar to hand painted designs or murals.
- long lasting and durable. (directly from Dezingwithaz.com)

 Some pieces I would love to have:

Moonshine $65

Floral $28

What I thought:

I have various Tatouage pieces throughout my house and thought that this would be similar. I was wrong in the fact that they are much easier to put up! (trust me, a half finished border in my kitchen will vouch!) You simply cut the image to size, I was sent several smaller images on one page. Next rub to make sure that the design is stuck to the clear top coat, peal the backing, stick the to the clean surface of your choosing and rub on with a credit card or spatula. After you have rubbed out all the air bubbles you slowly peel the clear topcoat off and viola! 

I was sent a sheet of large pink circles and the Oops Doggy Dog wall stickers (wonder why they choose to send me those huh?)

I have no idea yet where I will hang pink circles, I'm thinking that I will be sneaking into my nieces bedroom and doing her walls with them.

Here is my what I did with my dogs:

Even though the door is obviously not a flat surface, these went on easy as pie, flexing to fit in the grooves seamlessly! All told it was maybe 20 minutes worth of work, which I am a big fan of! Since the wall decals are good in all types of situations and weather we put the last little dog next to the spare tire on the back of the Tracker and it looks adorable!

With choices in abstract, kids rooms, floral, animal, laptop skins and many more, it would be hard not to find something you love. Check out Dezign with a Z now for an easy and affordable breathe new life into an old room

You know you work in the ghetto

just some random observations I've made:

You know you work in the ghetto when......the Adult Video store you pass every morning is busier than the grocery store.

You know you work in the ghetto when.....you have a cookout on the loading dock for your customers and random people off the street notice, come in, fill up plates and leave again..

You know you work in the ghetto when.....you hear police sirens so often during the day, you don't realize it when you are actually being pulled over

You know you work in the ghetto when.....at 7:15 am you drive past a guy in a red velour sweat suit, a white straw hat and one shoe sleeping on the bench in front of the abandoned gas station and you don't think it's strange

You know you work in the ghetto when.....the parking lot is lit up like the JFK runway at night, surrounded by barbed wire fencing and you still have to move the Pepsi machine into the warehouse because they keep stealing the quarters out of it

It's Friday!

and Friday means I link up with my buddy J at Boobies, Babies & a Blog for Fawk You Friday.

I guess there have been some people offended by Fawk You Friday. If your one of them, sorry. It is meant to be a fun way to hook up with fellow bloggers and get stuff of your chest. I personally, don't want to read a blog that is all happy happy joy joy all the time, because frankly, it depresses me. Who the hell has that perfect of a life? Not me. I like reading that someone else hates their cable company, or gets dirty looks when buying booze. That way I can take all the shitty little things that happen in my life in stride because hey, it happens to everybody! If I am constantly reading how perfect someones life is I start feeling like what the hell am I doing wrong? It's like a woman reading a romance novel and thinking sex is really like that! hahahaha!

I'm not a mommy blog. Not because I think there is anything wrong with mommy bloggers, but ummm I don't have kids. Shouldn't you have to have kids to be a mommy blogger? I blog when I have time, because I like to. I do product reviews and giveaways because I like to. Some of those reviews and giveaways happen to be for adult products, because I find it fun and healthy. I also swear, so occasionally you will read foul language here.....actually occasionally is pretty good since I have a tendency to swear like a drunken truck driver unless I am around grandparently people or small children. It's who I am and not likely to change at this stage of the game!


So......after spewing all that.....
Fawk you to the city who sent me a tax bill and I just today finish paying off last years!

Fawk you to the beggar at the drive through asking me to please buy him a meal. I just saw you talking on your cell phone! If you can pay for a cell phone you can pay for a freakin dollar menu item.

Fawk you to all the men in this company who act like since I am one of only two people working here without a penis then I must be stupid....if you keep it up I will show you just how smart I am by performing surgery on those pieces you so value.

Fawk you to the wonderful company who pitched me and never bothered to even LOOK at my blog, otherwise you might have noticed that: 
With school finally out and summer in full-swing, your kids are probably spending their days outside, roughhousing with the neighbors, exploring the backyard, and riding bikes to the community pool
is not freaking relevant to me........if the entire page dedicated to Infertility doesn't give it away, nor the page dedicated to my FURbabies, I really don't know what will.

If you stuck around through all that spewing of bile, I promise you I will take a double dose of my Prozac tonight 
 

Giveaway Winners!

I know, I know, y'all are saying Carrie, get your butt in gear and tell us who won already!
So that's what I'm going to do :)

The winner of the Fantasy Jewelry Box is....

The Winner of the Sunglass Warehouse Gift Cert is.....

Congrats to Pam and Belinda, I will be emailing you both shortly!

A giant thank you to my sponsors; Fantasy Jewelry Box and Sunglass Warehouse!

Not to be forgotten, thanks to everyone for reading and entering!

Carrie

Maggie's Pureland, Review & Giveaway

I was contacted by Maggie's Pure Land and asked if I would like to help them spread the word about natural laundry detergents. I looked around the website for a bit, then emailed a emphatic yes.


About Maggie's Pure Land:

Maggie's Pure Land was born in a little cottage located in Bur, California with a vision of being clean, balanced and harmonious with nature in the body, heart and soul. Maggie's promises us that they act in harmony with life AND nature, providing their workers with fair wages and never testing their products on animals. 10% of net proceeds are donated to various different groups that help people help the Earth!

About Soap Nuts:
Soap nuts are actually the dried fruit of the Soapberry tree, not a nut at all. Generations upon generations of natives in Indonesia have been using soap nuts. When the "nut" gets wet, it releases saponin, a natural cleaner.   In many local areas where these trees grow, poverty is rampant and people will cut the trees to use to firewood or sell them for lumber. Maggie's Soap Nuts hires locals to collect the nuts that have fallen from the trees ( a single tree produces hundreds of Kilos per year), thus giving them way to earn a living and preserving the rain forest at the same time.. The trees are not harmed and will continue to produce for years to come.

How to use Soap Nuts:
Using soap nuts is easy and mess free. Simply place 4 or 5 in a muslin bag and drop it in the washer. The water and the agitation of the drum will cause the "soap" to release. The nuts can be re-used around 5 times, more in cold water, toss them when they start to turn gray and mushy. If you prefer a liquid there are easy recipes for turning your soap nuts into a liquid cleaner, good for more than just laundry.

Maggie's Liquid Laundry Soap:
According to Maggie's, this is the only truly natural laundry liquid in the world! It is made in a food facility that bottles organic teas. Basically it is a tea made from wild harvested, charcoal filtered water. Citric acid is added to soften the water and organic lavender, tea tree and lemongrass oils are added for a very light scent.

Maggie's Pure Land sent me a package of soap nuts (with bag) and a  32 oz Lavender Tea Tree liquid soap to try.
I have used soap nuts in the past and using the ones from Maggie's was exactly as I remembered! Pop them in the muslin bag, drop in washer and viola! No muss, no fuss and clothing comes out clean and soft!
I was really excited to try the Lavender Tea Tree liquid! This is a hypoallergenic, vegan, super concentrated detergent good for regular and HE machines. You only need to use an ounce of product per regular load of laundry, so this stuff goes a long way! I like the very faint lavender scent and that fact that I know I just washed my clothes with a chemical free non toxic detergent!

I recently read in an article at Scientific American that said over 200 chemicals were found in umbilical cord blood. I am willing to be some of those chemicals come from our laundry detergents. What about after giving birth? Chemicals still transfer if a mother is breast feeding. Why not try a completely natural detergent?

BUY IT

You can purchase any of these items HERE. Prices range from $2.99 and UP depending upon quantity purchased.

WIN IT

Maggie's Pure Land is going to give 3 of my readers a chance to try out a sample of either the 5 load raw soap nuts or the 8oz liquid detergent (your choice). The entries will be very easy for this contest because Maggie's is asking that the winners post on my blog, telling what they thought of their sample. It can be as simple as a comment, or if you feel the need to explain at length a guest post can be arranged :) The whole purpose is to get more people aware of the effective, natural soap nuts instead of chemical filled brand detergents!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Maggie's Pure Land and tell me something you learned (that I have not already mentioned)

Extra entries, you can enter as many or as little as you like. 

Make sure to leave comments for each

~Follow Carrie's Rambles on Google Friend Connect +1

~Enter any or all of the giveaways at It's Me! Melbie +1 each

~Like Carrie's Rambles on Facebook and share this giveaway +1 to like +2 to share

~Add me to your blog roll +2

~Grab my button and leave me a link  +3

~Follow Me on twitter and tweet this giveaway

may be done 3x per day at least 1 hour apart. +1 each:

#Win your choice of Soap nuts or Liquid Laundry Sample from

Maggie's Pure Land @yorkiemomma 3 Winners Ends 7/7  http://bit.ly/ciKT0Y

Contest ends 7/7 at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org, notified by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is draw. Contest open to US and Canada. Must be18 to enter

Disclaimer: I received the about mentioned products in order to review them and give my honest opinion. My views are in no way altered due to having received a free product. Opinions of other consumers may differ from mine.

Follow Me Back Tuesday! Week 7

Week # 7 of Follow Me Back Tuesday, hosted by these lovely ladies:

Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog.. 

You can join in by heading to any of the host sites, reading the rules and linking up! I personally love Follow Me Back Tuesdays. I don't get alot of work done on my own blog, because I find myself hitting the linky and getting engrossed in a couple of new blogs! I can't help it, I start reading and before I know it an hour has passed!

Well, if you are here, new friend or old friend, don't forget to check out all the great giveaways I have running. 
These two end tomorrow:
Fantasy Jewelry Box Your choice of jewelry up to $35
and
Sunglass warehouse $20 gift certificate

Thanks for stopping!

Carrie 
 

Brugo Mug, Review & Giveaway

Are you a coffee, hot tea or hot cocoa drinker? I am all three depending on the season and my mood and one of the things that absolutely drives me nuts is that there is such a brief window when the beverage is at the right temperature. I'm either burning off my taste buds, trying to chug my drink when it's at the right temp or tossing half of it because it got cold. How many of you are nodding your heads right now?

Well, I have news for those of you that are nodding along. NO MORE! No more will you burn yourself or waste your warm drinks! Brugo  has created created a travel mug that allows each sip to be in the Perfect Temperature Zone!

How does it work, you ask?
Well the mugs have a central chamber with a 16 oz capacity, that keep your beverage piping hot and fresh tasting. The key is the second cooling chamber. You simply tip your cup away from you to allow product to enter that chamber, swish, and sip. Perfect taste and temperature!

The lid has a 3 position drink mode selector, allowing you to choose between locking it, sip and cool or to just drink regularly.  The Brugo mug also boasts a stainless steel finish, ergonomic grip, no slip bottom, limited warranty and comes in a variety of colors!

What did I think?
I think someone is a genius! The Brugo mug does exactly as it says it does. At first it may have been a tad awkward getting used to tipping before sipping, but I adjusted quickly and loved it. I have one major problem with it though. I wish it would I was sent the pink one instead of the green one because my husband would drop dead before stealing a pink one off of me, the rat!

There are 3 collections to choose from and some can be personalized for large orders.

BUY IT

You can purchase your very own Brugo Mug HERE for $19.95, but I highly recommend buying two of them. 1) because someone is going to swipe yours and 2) they are only $14.95 when you purchase more than one!

WIN IT

One of my readers will win their very own Brugo Mug (guard it carefully!) 

Mandatory Entry: Must be a Google Follower of Carrie's Rambles and go to Brugo and tell me either something you learned, your favorite style or favorite feature.

(mandatory entry must be completed or all subsequent entries will be deleted)

Bonus Entries 

(not required, just for extra chances!)

~Like Brugo Mug on Facebook and let them know Carrie's Rambles sent you +1

~Like Carrie's Rambles on Facebook and share this giveaway 

+1 for liking +2 for sharing (leave me the link)

~Sign up for my emails +1 (must be verified)

~ Enter any of the giveaways at It's Me! Melbie +2 each entered

~Enter any of my other giveaways +1 each

~Grab my button and leave me a link +3

~add me to your blog roll +3

~blog about this giveaway +5

~Follow BrugoMug on twitter +1

~Follow Me on twitter and tweet this giveaway

may be done 3x per day, no closer than 1 hr apart

You may use this sample tweet:

#Win a Perfect Temperature Brugo Mug @Brugomug @yorkiemomma.

Ends 7/6  http://bit.ly/aWRKi7

Contest open to US residents 18 and older. Contest ends 7/6 at 11:59 EST. Winner to be drawn by random.org and notified by email. Must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn

disclaimer: I received a free mug in order to review it. All opinions are my own and not in anyway influenced by receiving a free item.

Monday's Miracles

Today's Monday's Little Miracles Blog Hop is different. There is no blog in the Miracle Spot. Instead we are being sent to the ABC News website to read this article



ANIMALS CAUGHT IN THE GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL: HOW YOU CAN HELP

I am a huge animal lover and the images I am seeing on the news of these poor birds, turtles, etc...covered in oil is just heartbreaking. In the article above there are many links to organizations who are helping the animals and most of them are accepting donations and volunteers.

photo courtesy sodahead

Please join us in making a difference : Belly Charms - The Blog, Boobies, Babies and A Blog, and My New Life As Mom by sharing Monday's Little Miracles to save the Gulf Animals. Here is how you can make a difference too - this is easy:

* Copy this post and put it on your blog
* Join the linky below
* And of course, follow any or all of the wonderful bloggers in the linky who want to save the animals who are suffering in the Gulf of Mexico.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for being a part of Monday's Little Miracles: Animals in the Gulf.
***Note~ I pretty much just copied and pasted J's post, because I really couldn't have said it any better myself.

A new rant

I know, I know, I rant alot. Well I have too post it because my husband has been ignoring them for at least 5 years and even the dogs roll their eyes anymore!

You know what irritates me? People asking me to donate a dollar. Everyfreakingwhere I go. I'm serious, you can't go anywhere these days without someone asking you for your money.

Yesterday after work, I ran errands. The lady at Speedway asked me if I wanted to buy a balloon for charity, then the lady at family dollar asked me to donate my change to a literacy fund. I drove through Arby's and they asked me VIA the drive thru speaker to donate to big brothers and sisters....ummm, can I please just have my junior roast beef and diet coke? The worst was the lady at Walmart who asked the girl in front of me to round out her bill to an even number and donate her change. Then it's my turn and she says "Would you like to donate a dollar to blah blah blah" and when I said no, she repeated "NO?" Like I am going to rot in the lowest pit of hell for saying no.

I donate when I can, for causes I feel are worthy. I'm a member of the humane society. I support cancer research.
If I donated to every Tom Dick an Harry that asked I would be broke by the time I finished my errands!
I mean I just ordered off the dollar menu lady.....think about it.....

Winners Winners!

I have two winners for my lovely blog friends today!

First we have our Hips & Curves Winner:

Congrats Suzy! 

And now the GourmetGiftBaskets.com Hole in One winner:

Congrats Annie!

I will be emailing you both as soon as I post this!

Thank you to my sponsors for making these giveaways possible and to my readers for entering them!

Carrie

Evolve Showerhead Review & Giveaway

Are you aware that saving money and helping out the environment can be as simple as choosing the correct showerhead? It's true, evolve designs and sells maximum flow, ecosmart showerheads using Showerstart technology.

Really, you ask? I bet the water pressure stinks, you're thinking! I know, so was I! For alot of people, the shower is just about the only alone time you get and you want to enjoy it, but who can do that with the ecofriendly version of a water can dripping on your head!

I was granted the opportunity to try one of the evolve showerheads and I have the scoop for you!

evolve sells rain showerheads, handheld showerheads, standard showerheads and lower flow showerheads.

I received the Water Lily showerhead in chrome finish, which retails for $69.95. 

The Key Features of the Water Lily:
~Shower Start Technology
~maximum flow rate allowable by law
~multi function rain head
~works with standard shower arm
~ideal balance of coverage and flo
~solid brass fittings
~anti clog nozzles
~3 spray patterns.


First off, what is this shower start technology I keep mentioning? That's simple, turn you shower on and walk away. We all do it, turn it on, realize we forgot something in the bedroom, then the phone rings and all of a sudden your like "holy cow, how long has the shower been running?" With evolve showerheads that isn't a problem. You turn it on and when the water reaches 95 degrees it automatically slows to a mere trickle, keeping the water warm and not dumping gallons down the drain! When you are ready to jump in you simply pull the toggle cord and full spray resumes!

Using an evolve showerhead can save a yearly average of 2,700 gallons of water, the fossil-fueled energy it takes to heat it—and up to $75 off your utility bill.

How well does it work? Watch my poor attempts and cinematography and find out!

The Water Lily has my stamp of approval and a 5 bark stamp from my four legged helpers! They spray is strong enough to get the soap out of my hair and the massage feature is divine!

I feel the pricing is extremely reasonable, easily comparable to one you would find in a local store that doesn't have Shower Start Technology.

BUY IT

You can purchase the exact Water Lily Showerhead that I received HERE for $69.95 or choose the brushed nickel finish for $74.95. Want to go as green as possible? Get the best performing Roadrunner at 1.5gpm! evolve has choices for everyone!

WIN IT

I have been given a second Water Lily showerhead to pass on to one of my readers!

Mandatory Entry must be completed or all subsequent entries will be deleted:
Follow Carrie's Rambles on GFC AND visit evolve, tell me something you learned about the company.

Bonus Entries
(these are just for extra chances, not required!)
~Like Carrie's Rambles on Facebook & Share this giveaway on your wall
+1 for liking +2 for sharing
~Enter any of the giveaways at It's Me! Melbie! +2 each entered
~Sign up for my emails (must be verified) +1
~add me to your blog roll +2
~Grab my button and tell me where I can find it +3
~Blog about this giveaway and leave a link+5
~ Follow Me on twitter and tweet this giveaway. (up to 3x daily, must be at least 1 hr apart)
+1 each. You may use this tweet if you like:

#Win an ecofriendly Evolve Water Lily showerhead. $70 value

@yorkiemomma http://bit.ly/b53BOj Ends 7/11

Contest ends 7/11 at 4pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org, notified by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn. Open to US only, must be 18 to enter.


disclaimer: I received the above mentioned product in order to do a review of said product. Receiving a free product has in no way altered my opinion.

Good Morning!

I hate mornings. I truly, truly do. I'm not one of those people that feel as if they wasted half the day by sleeping til 10. I'm one of those people that needs dragged from my bed, kicking screaming  and flailing limbs every damn morning. When I first started this job 3 years ago, I told myself that it was just because I was used to working late nights, as a closing manager for a restaurant/bar I rarely ever got home before three and those were good nights. I kept telling myself I would get used to it... So far the only thing that has changed is that I am able to drive to work without running over any fire hydrants.
One butt crack of dawn morning, I was trying to sort out some cash receipts that the salesmen had screwed up and thinking "dumb bastards" and when I picked the ringing phone up, you got it, I said "Bastards, can I help you?" in a singsong voice....In the interest of keeping said job, I try to refrain from answering said phone until at least 2 diet cokes and 8 am roll around

On a happier note, I just gave my boss a check and the plate renewal form for my plates and told him to hurry up. What? He needed to go to the license bureau anyways........of course I probably could have just went myself and done the office stuff to while I was there but what do I look like, a secretary?

Newmans Own Organics Winner!

Thank you to everyone who read the review and entered the giveaway. A big thank you to Newman's Own Organics for sponsoring this giveaway!

Kendyl, I am emailing you now, please respond in the next 48 hours!

Friday Follow, Building Friendships 1 blog at a time Week 4

Week #4 of the new Friday Follow! I have so many posts to do and a couple of giveaways to put up, but then I start reading all the awesome new blogs I find on the Friday Follow and end up loosing track of time!

This weekend will be a busy one for me! I have those posts to work on, a garage door to install, Father's Day, a couple of other projects and I work a half day on Saturday!

I will have the winner for the Newman's Own Organics up soon. If you are new or just visiting, please check out all the giveaways I have going!

Thanks!

Now, Here are the rules for Friday Follow:

• Link up your blog below.. One Link per blog
• Grab our Friday Follow button include on your side bar, or post.. grab the linky information if you want it
• Follow the Friday-Follow blog and the hostesses in slots 1, 2 & 3 that have volunteered today to host
• Follow the blogs you want, leave comment saying you are from Friday Follow – use common courtesy
• No spammers, or xxrated blogs – family friendly

If you need more guidelines about following see Friday-Follow.com

Many thanks to this weeks hosts: 

Stephanie at Goober Grape Monkeyman, and Traci at Traci66. 

Fawk You Friday!

It's that time again, time to hook up at Boobies, Babies & a Blog, so that we can all get that weekly stress of our chests! Plus, you gotta read about the Sizzling Summer Event that's gonna kick off soon! Get all the deets at Boobies, Babies & a Blog

So what should I moan about this week.......you know, I had a whole list and for the life of me, I can't remember them......so I will use a couple a lame minor ones, but reserve the right to edit when the light goes on and I remember!

Fawk you to all these stupid add ons I've been having to do all week.
Fawk you to all the people who call here, ask if we sell something and when I tell them know ask me where to get it and what's the phone #....Do I look like the yellow pages? WTF
Fawk you to the Endocrinologist who made my mother and I wait for 3.5 hours.
Fawk you to my check book...just because I made you pay for a garage door and AC Coil replacement is no reason to be empty!

Keepin Company Thursday

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This is a new blog hop for me, but since I was so graciously invited I had to check it out! While your here, don't forget to check out my giveaways! My Newman's Own Organics ends today and only has 69 entries! This is a sweet pack ladies and gents!

Here is how it works:

* Create a Keepin' Company Thursday post. Please include the Keepin' Company Button in your post.

* Follow the first two blogs, which are the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch and Traci66

*Follow the #3 spot winner.

* Follow any of the other blogs you choose to and let them know you found them via Keepin' Company Thursday.

* If you get a follow via Keepin' Company Thursday please follow them back.

* Add your blog name and the URL to your Keepin" Company Post to the link below

* You can also grab the code below to add to your post if you want the thumbnails to appear in your post

* If you add the Keepin' Company button to your sidebar and leave either of the hosteses, Heck of a Bunch or Traci66, a comment letting us know where to find it we will randomly draw a blog to be in the #3 spot next week.

Wordless Wednesday

chasing a remote controlled cat toy mouse                                             

101 Things I Learned in Culinary School Review

101 Things I learned in Culinary School, by Louis Eguaras with Matthew Frederick.

Written by a seasoned chef, this indispensable resource provides essential advice to culinary students, chefs and chefs-in-training, and anyone interested in the culinary world. Each two-page layout is illustrated and illuminates an important industry topic--- using humor, statistics, or real-life examples to drive the point home. 

My husband actually went to culinary school and is currently cooking in a country club and I spent 15 years serving, bartending and managing a restaurant, so we were both eager to take a look inside this book.

It is a small (about 7x8) hardcover book . When you open it up, the left hand page has an illustration and the right has a short fact or tip. Many of them are pure common sense, many amusing and some were things I didn't know. I wouldn't recommend this book as a "study" guide type book for someone in culinary school, but perhaps for a novice just getting into the restaurant business or for someone who has never worked in a restaurant this would be great to learn a little of the behind the scenes! There are some great tips, like how to choose the correct knife, cooking Roux and recognizing doneness in meat!

The hubster took his to work with him and he and the other guys thoroughly enjoyed flipping through it during dead times! I think this book would make a great stocking stuffer type of gift.

Disclaimer: Book was provided by Hachette Book Group for review purposes.

Wall Decor & Home Accents Giveaway

Wall Decor & Home Accents started over a glass of chardonnay, when the (now) owners had just moved into their new house and were looking for the perfect accents and decor to make it a home. Looking here, there and everywhere to find one piece of decor at a time made them realize that there should be one convenient, reasonably priced place to find these items! They decided to build an online store that you could find mirrors, clocks, tapestries, wall shelves, stunning architectural pieces, metal decor and everything you can think of for decorating the walls of your home.

Searching the website you will find so many stunning pieces of wall decor, that it will be hard to decide which piece or pieces to choose from first!

The above pictured wrought iron wall art, the candle holder and the tapestry are just a small sampling of what they have to offer! With everything from contemporary to traditional, you would be hard pressed not to find something you like here!

The wonderful folks at Wall Decor & Home Accents have agreed to give one of my readers a piece of their musical notes wall art! The Asovia Musical Note Metal Wall Art is one of their most popular pieces, it is charcoal black, with dimensions of 49"W x 21"H x 0.5"D and weighing only 6lbs.

Strike a melodious note with our Asovia Musical Metal Wall Art. This unique novelty wall decor adds a symphonic accent to any space. Makes an ideal decor accent for a media room, or hang it in a home studio or music room as a source of instrumental inspiration. Also makes a fun, educational wall decor piece for a kids’ room or playroom. Give this unique wall art as a personalized gift for the music lover, instructor, or composer in your life. Crafted of durable, lightweight metal, our Asovia Musical Note Wall Art is easily moved from room to room. Substantially sized to make an opus-sized impact

(all photos are taken directly from the corresponding items at Wall Decor & Home Accents)

BUY IT

Originally priced at $119.90, you can purchase it at Wall Decor & Home Accents for $75.9. They have free shipping on anything over $150, a wonderful sale section and a live customer chat!

WIN IT

Mandatory Entry, must be completed for any bonus entries to count. 

Simply sign up for the discount club and let me know you have done so. Located halfway down the left hand side of the Wall Decor & Home Accents  page

Bonus Entries:

~Follow Carrie's Rambles on Google Friend Connect +1

~Add me to your blog roll and tell me where I can find it +2

~Enter any or all of It's Me! Melbie's giveaways +2 each entered

~Grab my button and tell me where I can find it +3

~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link +5

~Like Me on Facebook and share this giveaway +1 to like +2 to share
~Enter any of my other giveaways +1 each

~Follow Me on twitter and tweet this giveaway, may be done 3x per day +1 each

You may use the following tweet if you like:

#Win a fabulous piece of wall art from Wall Decor & Home Accents

ARV $119.90 @yorkiemomma Ends 7/8 http://bit.ly/9pQoEa

Contest is open to the continental US only. Must be 18 or older to win. Contest ends on 7/8 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner to be chosen by random.org, notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before an new winner is chosen.

Disclaimer: I contacted the company and asked them to sponsor a giveaway. I personally received no compensation, monetary or otherwise to host this giveaway.

Follow Me Back Tuesday~ Week 6

It's that time again! 

Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's,

Review Retreat & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog.. 

Make sure you head on over to their blogs, read the rules and link up!

As for me, I have to admit, Tuesdays are MUCH better days for me than Mondays. Mondays are usually chaotic as all get out! Yesterday is a good example. I worked from 7-1 then ran and picked up Mom to take her to the new specialist that has more initials after his name then I thought possible. He seems like a very good Dr and I am hoping he can help her!  We were there for three hours, then waited for the home nurse to come and do bloodwork, then made sure she ate, then gave her two different IV meds. Then I went home. At 8:30.

I am very very very (cannot even express) happy! Why? FINALLY! The AC guy got my coil in and installed it yesterday morning! Yes! I still have to replace the furnace but that can wait until fall! My house was not 88 degrees last night! Sweet Bliss!

Anyways! Hope to see some new faces this week and don't forget to check out my giveaways!