Uprinting.com Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner for the Uprinting.com giveaway!

Congrats to:

Mama Ewers!!!

An email has been sent, and you should be receiving an additional email from our sponsor shortly.

Thanks so much for participating!!

Jessica

New Giveaway Sponsored by Uprinting.com!

Uprinting.com is a great resource for all your printing needs.  The site has so many neat ways for small businesses to market themselves including business cards, labels, and even wall art.  Uprinting.com has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway for you guys!  So hurry over to their website and take a look! You're going to LOVE all the fun things you can create!

The winner of this giveaway will receive:

250 Stickers
2" x 3.5"
70lb Label Matte and Front Only Printing with a 4 Business Day Turnaround

You can choose from these sheet labels or view the standard label templates.

How to enter:

Mandatory Entry:

 Visit  Uprinting.com and leave a comment telling me an item they have that you would love to purchase. (1 entry)

Optional Entries:

1.  Follow Uprinting.com on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (1 entry)

2.  Follow Uprinting.com on Twitter and leave Twitter ID (1 entry)

3.  Join Giveaway Blogs (1 entry)

4.  Follow Ramblings Via GFC (1 entry)

5.  Follow Ramblings on Facebook (1 entry)

6.  Follow Ramblings on Twitter (1 entry)

7.  Tweet about this Giveaway (1 entry daily-provide link to tweet)

8.  Blog about this Giveaway (3 entries- provide link to post)

9.  Promote this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry daily)

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at midnight on July 23, 2011.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted by email.  Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.  Please make sure to leave your email address for each entry and also make a separate comment for each entry.  An entry without a valid email address will not count!

Good luck everybody!!

**This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive labels  for hosting. Check out standard label templates on UPrinting.com.

Creation By Design Review and Giveaway!

As a mom, I am always looking for educational and fun things for my children, and as a mom who loves to read, books are at the top of my list.  When picking out books for my girls I love to see stories that incorporate life lessons or morals.  Today, when so many terrible things are going on in our world, I do all I can do to reinforce goodness, love, and kindness.  I want our girls to learn how to treat others with respect and learn forgivness and mercy. 

We were recently introduced to a Company called Creation By Design that has everything from printable Bible coloring sheets to books to Bible trading cards.  We were able to try the Xander Nash book series, and as I mentioned before, my girls LOVE books.  After the first few pages they were hooked, and were constantly asking me to read to them.  We read a chapter before naptime and another at bedtime. 

Xander Nash is a little boy who travels back in time to the creation of the earth in book one.  The reader follows him through days one through six, and Xander has adventure after adventure that leaves kids sitting on the edge of their seats.  My girls would groan everytime I put the book away.  We could have read the whole first book in a day if it were up to them, but I wanted it to be something they looked forward to each day, and I have to say, I've never seen them so excited for nap or bedtime!

In fact, I came into the living room one afternoon to see this.  Makenzie was tired of waiting around to see what happened next in the story and decided she'd just read it for herself!  She's only five, but she's been reading small words since before Christmas.  I was worried some of the words in this book would be difficult for her to read on her own, but she actually did really well with it.  The printing is big, and there are pictures along the way.  Overall, a perfect book for kids 5-12 in my opinion! 

We're currently reading the 2nd book in the series which deals with jealousy and sibling rivalry as Xander travels back in time to Egypt, and my girls can't wait for the 3rd book which continues in Egypt with a lesson on stubborness.  I love that these books teach life lessons while still providing the intrigue, adventure, and excitement that keep my girls wanting to hear/read more!

You can purchase the Xander Nash Series at the Creation By Design website for those of us in MS.  For others of you around the country, there is a retail store locater that you can use to see if there are stores in your area that carry the book or again, just simply purchase directly from the website.

I'm excited to announce...

Creation By Design has been kind enough to offer to host a giveaway!  One lucky reader will receive a FREE copy of book one in the Xander Nash series! 

Here's how the giveaway will work:

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Creation By Design and leave a comment telling me what item you'd purchase from the site.

Extra Entries:

Friend Creation By Design on Facebook and tell them Ramblings sent you! (1 entry)

Follow Creation By Design on Twitter ( 1 entry)

Follow Ramblings via GFC (1 entry)

Follow Ramblings on Facebook (1 entry)

Follow Ramblings on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet about this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (1 entry per day)

Promote this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link to your feed (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post (5 entries)

Please leave a comment for each entry.  You MUST leave a valid email address with your entry so that we can contact you if you win.  The giveaway is open to US residents only and will end July 31st at 12:00 pm CST.  A winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed shortly thereafter.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!

**No compensation was received for this post.  A product was given for review, but all opions are mine alone.

Gripstic Review

 My husband likes to eat a few chips with Salsa sometimes in the afternoon to hold him over until dinner.  I'm constantly looking for "clips" for potato chip bags to keep them fresh after they've been opened.  The problem I run into is that I don't like to buy the clips because they're so bulky and take up so much space.  We never have enough, and I can't seem to find them when I need them.

Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to receive The Gripstic in the mail to try out.  The Gripstic is slim so it stores easily and doesn't take up much space, it keeps food fresh, and it's extremely cost efficient. 

**Photo courtesy of www.gripstic.com

The Gripstic comes in several different sizes.  It's only one piece so it's as simple as sliding it onto the bag to lock moisture out and keep foods fresh.

Here's one way we used The Gripstic! I also used them to seal a plastic bag that contained raisins my daughter had for a snack as well as some salad we had one night for dinner.  The Gripstic kept all of our food fresh, and the salad kept longer than it normally does.

You can find The Gripstic at local chain retailers like Kroger, Publix, Winn Dixie, and Bed Bath & Beyond just to name a few.  They retail for $3.99 a piece! 

 Go grab yourself some today!

**This was not a paid advertisement.  I received no compensation for this post.  I did receive the product to try for free, but all opinions are my own.



Book Review: Tasting Rain by Kim Malchuk copyright 2011

**book cover courtesy of fivestarpublications.com

If you have ever experienced personal loss whether it be the loss of a loved one or simply the loss of your dreams, you have most assuredly felt like you were literally at the end of your rope.  The devastation and confusion, loneliness and grief all seem to suck the life right out of you.  Questions like “Why did this happen to me?”, “What am I supposed to do now?”, and maybe even “Does God hate me?” seem to be never-ending thoughts that cross our minds.

In Kim Malchuk’s book “Tasting Rain”, we are told a story of sadness and loss, hurt and frustration.  Malchuk shares her thoughts and her story in such a way that makes one feel as though she is speaking directly to them.  We are privy to her thoughts and feelings as she faces a journey many of us pray we never have to endure.  Her heartache, perseverance, and ultimate joy for life are truly an inspiration to readers. 

The common theme for Malchuk is optimism and positive thinking.  Life is all about choices.  Choosing to live your life to the fullest each day no matter what obstacles you may face will lead you to a life of happiness and joy.  Life is hard.  It is not perfect.  We can choose to let negativity weigh us down or we can make a choice each day to wake up with a smile on our face and hope that our decisions lead us in a positive direction.  A positive outcome can come from any negative situation.  We should treasure each day we are given and make the most of it.  Most importantly, we should take the time to stop and “taste the rain”.

You can read "Tasting Rain" yourself by purchasing this book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  It's a great weekend read, and it will leave you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

**This was not a paid review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.  I did receive a copy of this book for review purposes.