My mom loves music.  It was always playing in our home when we were growing up.  One of her favorite songs was “Wind Beneath My Wings” which is a song on Danny Wright’s latest album.   A Mother’s Love is scheduled for digital release on May 7th for Mother’s Day and features original commissioned songs.  It also highlights tributes to many classic favorites that celebrate women.  There are limited physical CDs available via special order by visiting Danny Wright’s website.  Danny is an internationally renowned pianist beloved for his gift of capturing a life or love story in music. He’s called the “Healer of Hearts” because of the amazing touch his music can have on a soul.  By calling WH Sound Studios at 702-724-0918, fans can purchase an individual CD.  There are also signed options for Mother’s Day gifts.  These would be great to send for Mom to listen to in the car or on her computer at work.  What I really want to share with you, though, is this amazing Mother’s Day Gift Basket being offered for this special day.

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The Green Moms Network is hosting the 2^nd Annual Green Your Mom Giveaway Hop from May 1-8, 2013.   Enjoy visiting all of these participating blogs to find natural, green products for Mother’s Day.   Savings in Seconds has partnered with John & Bob’s to bring you a fabulous Mother’s Day gift basket that’s perfect for a gal with a green thumb.

You’ve gotta visit my John & Bob’s post to see my reaction to their gardening products.  My hard clay soil dries up as hard as a brick and just isn’t a great medium for growing the tomatoes, squash, and other veggies that we love.  I’ve got high hopes this year because John & Bob’s gave me the tools to make my existing clay a much richer soil for my plants.  We don’t have any expensive machinery like tillers or tractors, either, to help us get that soil broken up.  With John & Bob’s, it was as easy as spraying or sprinkling on the good stuff.    I’m still learning about the benefits of using their products and would love to hear what you need for your garden.

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Welcome to the Spring Fling giveaway!   This event is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer.  Book hop giveaways are fun places to find some great titles to fill your bookshelves for spring reading.  Just think of all the books you could take along to the beach, tote along by the pool, or just curl up and read while it’s raining outside.  I’ve read so many good books in the past few weeks that I had a hard time choosing one as a prize for this giveaway.  I finally decided upon The Searcher because I thought it might appeal to a more general audience.  The Searcher is a deeply moving book that takes a while to get through but leaves you filled with hope in the end.  When I posted about it a few days ago, several readers commented that it was a book they’d like to read.   So lucky readers, one of you will be receiving my copy of The Searcher in this giveaway!  [Read more…]

 We went to the Farmer’s Market again.  One of the very best tastes of summer is fresh fruit.  Saving the fruit all year ’round is a gift that jam makers give us, and that’s a skill that I really want to learn. This week’s feature of Tricities Tuesday celebrates the homemade jam offered by the good people at Country Pix.  Owned by Jerry and Shirley Whitt, Country Pix offers fresh produce from their garden to your table for seven months out of the year!  From January through December, you can call to place your order of delicious garden produce, home-canned goods, and more.   Some of the delicious foods available through Country Pix are tomatoes, green beans, peppers, onions, greens, peas, okra, cabbage, squash, and potatoes.  You can also purchase home-canned soups, jams, jellies, chow-chow, green beans, relishes, pickled beets, and apple butter.  I’m completely fascinated with home-canning at the moment and really want to learn how to do it myself.  Until then, I’m perfectly content buying my tasty treats at the Kingsport Farmer’s Market.   [Read more…]

Are you a history buff slash romance fan?  I definitely fall into that category.  Even before I became a history teacher, I was always fascinated by the stories of the past.  Sweet Sanctuary takes place in the WWII era as you might have guessed from the endearing cover photo.   Having read books by author Kim Vogel Sawyer before, I was expecting something great and wasn’t disappointed.  Sweet Sanctuary is about doing the right thing even when the odds are against you.

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Welcome to the “My Mom Is The Best” Giveaway Event hosted by Modly Chic  & Still Blonde after all these YEARS.  Mother’s Day is one of those rare opportunities to say thanks to the women who have influenced our lives.  In my opinion, this doesn’t just have to be about mothers.   Many women have impacted my life in a positive way, like a mother would, without even being mothers themselves. 

Mother’s Day is also the perfect time to take care of yourself, ladies!   That’s why Savings in Seconds partnered with My Yoga Online to bring you a giveaway valued at $120.

My Yoga Online is the #1 yoga website worldwide.  [Read more…]

You all know that I’m on a super gardening kick.  The idea of growing my family’s food is so fascinating to me!   Unfortunately I live in the valley of East Tennessee where the soil is all clay. An ambitious person could probably build a house out of the bricks in my backyard.   Raised beds can be a solution, but it’s often expensive and time-consuming to get the beds started.  I have a few containers started, too, but it would really be a blessing to be able to use the soil we already have.  When I heard about John & Bob’s soil optimizing products, I had to learn more.  The basis behind their company is that you don’t NEED a truckload of topsoil or wheelbarrows of compost to have beautiful soil.  By adding the simple soil amendments from John & Bob’s, you can utilize and maximize the soil that’s already in your garden spot!  They offer a powerhouse of nutrients in a small package, which leaves a smaller carbon footprint everywhere.   This not only saves time and money but also backbreaking labor.  It’s as easy as one click to find the soil kit you need for your specific soil type.

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Girls love things in small packages.  Small=cute and that’s what we’re all about.  Think on it for a moment……puppies and kittens.  Babies.  Fun size candy bars.  Diamonds (yes, big might be good in that area, but diamonds are still relatively small items).  When it comes to trial sizes and sample packs, many girls are right on point for those, too.  Trial sizes means there’s little commitment.  No need to splurge on a full size product.  There’s no problem if a girl needs to change her mind; she won’t be reminded of it for long.

Now let’s talk about getting those small samples on a monthly basis.  Opening your mailbox and finding a special box filled with all kinds of goodies.  It’s even wrapped like a little gift, with fun crinkly wrapping inside.  Ah, does life get any better?   Monthly subscription boxes are all the rage right now and it goes right back to my philosophy that small is fun.   When my Beauty Box 5 box arrives, it makes me smile.   Does my son wonder what’s inside the box?  No way.  But my daughter  immediately eyes the box and asks me what’s inside.  That’s my girl! [Read more…]

Is there any game that my kids love more than Angry Birds?  Not at this point in time. My son has two Angry Birds shirts and wears them interchangeably.  As soon as one is clean, it’s on his body and the other is in the wash.  Oh wait.  He also loves Star Wars too.  I can’t think of many boys who don’t love Star Wars, my husband included.  Light sabers, racing spaceships, and aliens. What’s not to love?   So when I heard that Hasbro was combining these two phenomenons, I knew my kids would be over the moon.  And I was right!

We had the opportunity to try the new Angry Birds Star Wars Fighter Pods AT AT Attack game by Hasbro (retails for $39.99).  Hasbro is giving one lucky US reader an ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS product!   Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.   Due to the timeline of this giveaway, I need to have address confirmation right away, so the giveaway will end by May 2.  Good luck!

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What kind of cards do you give for special days?   Giving a card that’s just right for the occasion is something that I really dwell upon.  In this era of electronic cards, evites, and text messages,  I feel lost in the crowd.  My kids are still the ones who send a hand-written thank-you note.  My mom looks forward to the sentimental card she knows she’ll receive on Mother’s Day.  Taking a moment to write a personal note is special to me.  I might not do it as often as I used to but it’s still one of those little things that makes me smile.

To me, a card is special when you know it needs to go to a certain person in your life.  Some people like personalized cards with special pictures and meaningful messages.  Others like beautiful prints and a designer look, like these Vera Bradley cards.  Then there are those people who like the quirky funk of a truly unique card.  Know one of those off the wall folks?  Then you need to check out Spicy Hobo cards. [Read more…]