It's Give Friday!

It's my very first official "Give Friday."  What is "Give Friday?"  It's what I have decided to call Fridays here at All That to Say.  Every Friday, I will either give something away, or I will feature a person or organization that is doing something great in the world and give you a chance to give to them.

Get it?  "Give" Friday?  (You guys are the above average set.)

I've kind of been doing that already, but I've just decided to make it official by giving it a clever name.  Who knows?  Maybe it will become the next Internet sensation and Friday will be "Give Friday" all over the Internet!  Wouldn't that be cool?

So, in honor of my first official "Give Friday" I am doing two things.  I am giving away something really cool, and I am reminding you about a giving opportunity that you have!  Originally, I had posted that I was going to give away 2 things, and remind you of two things.  I like symmetry.  I have OCD. It works better for me that way.  But "apparently" (said in a sarcasm-laden voice) it was just too much and I had a little feedback from friends to give less.  So, I have heeded your advice, and am now giving away one thing and remind you about a cool opportunity.

First off, I'm going to give away this really cute tent that Mike made, courtesy of Pinterest. Mike made it a Father/Daughter project by taking the girls with him to get the hardware and tent canopy. For the record, I would have NEVER let them pick out a hot orange one (it's a twin sheet) but hey, that's what happens when dads and their 4 year olds pick out home decor! HA!

So, just in case you aren't a fan of hot orange, you can easily change out the tent canopy by getting a different twin sheet.   If you want to see a more professional shot of this, and the original instructions, here you go.  Mike said to be sure and tell you that if you want to make your own, you should read the comments section because the original pattern had a few flaws.


Oh, and one more thing, we're keeping this one.  Yours is brand new, unused (but still hot orange!)  That's the "I Give" part.


It's Give Friday!  I give, you give, we give.

In the "You Give" category,  this is a friendly reminder to check your pulse, be sure you have a heart, and go support this adorable little girl.  I'm not normally a fan of asking other people for money to support a money making venture for yourself, but then again, now that I think about it, that's dumb.  At least in this case.  Because in this case you should do it and be awesome.  As Kid President would say, "Be awesome."

Go check out Lauren's info and her Kickstarter page and help her reach her dream. She's only got a few days left to make it! And in case you don't know how Kickstarter works, if she doesn't make 100% of her goal, she gets NOTHING. Check your pulse.  Now go here and support this sweet baby's dream.

And to really sweeten this deal, for every dollar you donate to her, I will count it as 1 entry to win this cool stuff.  So, donate $1 get 1 entry. Donate $5, get 5 entries. Awesome. Kid President would be proud of you.

So, let's recap:

• I Give -Awesome PupTent    
• You Give - Support 11 Year Old Author, Lauren Lukaszewsi

NOW THEN, (phew, that was exhausting!)  here is how to enter to win.

1.  You MUST follow this blog.  It's a shameless ploy to build my readership.  I'm okay with it.  Consider it a "you give." :)

2.  You MUST at least visit Lauren's Kickstarter page and watch her video. But remember for every dollar you give, you get an entry.

3.  You MUST pin, post, or tweet this blog post.  For each of these you do, you get an additional entry.  (Again, you have to comment on this blog to let me know what all you accomplished)

5.  Lastly, you must comment.  Commenting is your official entry, but in your comment you must tell me that you followed the blog, Visited Lauren's Kickstarter, and pinned, posted or tweeted!

If that's confusing, well, hmmmm . . . . re-read it.  But it's not that complicated.  And you're giving.  Because it's Give Friday!  

All that to say, I give; you give; we give!  Now get busy!
(And don't worry, those of you who checked in here for Ags for Orphans, I refeature them again soon!)

All That to Say: Weekend Giveaway! Stella and Dot

I met Lauren when I was training for my marathon back in 2011.  (I seriously cannot believe it has been a year since I ran my marathon!)  Anyway, Lauren was one of the coaches with the Marathon Makeover; a coach I simultaneously loved and feared.

You see, Lauren is the kind of running coach that doesn't just run alongside you.  She COACHES you.  She stretches you.  She challenges you to do more than you ever imagined you'd be able to (aka tortures you).  Whenever I would see her bouncing my way, I would feel two things simultaneously;  ticked that she wasn't even sweating (though I was dying); and fearful of what she was going to make me accomplish!

But I grew to love the times that Lauren would run with our group (sort of).  She's the kind of coach you want to have in your life, stretching you, challenging you, making you better.

Well, recently Lauren became a stylist for a really great company called Stella and Dot.  If you've never heard of them it's because you must live under a rock . . . just kidding, calm down.  Stella and Dot is a jewelry company (though they sell a lot more than jewelry).  Anyway you can read about them if you want to know more by clicking the link above.  And to support Lauren, I told her I'd host a virtual trunk show right here on my blog!

So, as is the case every weekend, I am giving away (as in free) something that goes with this story.  I toyed with the idea of giving away my marathon medal, but really doubted ANYONE would want that, so instead I decided to give away a piece of Stella and Dot jewelry. 

You can click this link, shop around a bit, order something if you'd like (and you will like, so be warned) and then leave a comment on this blog as your official entry.  If you haven't already done so, you'll need to follow my blog as well. (yes, it's shameless . . .)

Oh, and the prize . . . well the winner gets to choose their OWN prize!  WHAT?!!!  Yep, you get to pick your own prize if you are the winner!  Simply go back to the Stella and Dot link, click  "gifts,"  and look in the gifts under $50.  Then choose your gift! 

All that to say, Lauren, thank you for all you have done for so many of us who try to call ourselves runners.  And here's to smashing success at your new business!

FROM LAUREN!!!!! (She left it in the comments, but I added it up here in case you guys don't read the comments!
***Trunk Show Special***
When you make a $50 purchase, you will receive 50% off of the following pieces:

Estate Chandelier Earrings
Marchesa Necklace
La Coco Clutch
Astor Strand
Juliette Gem Drops
Happy Shopping!!!

Day 80: Weekend Giveaway!

I have blogged many times about learning to care for my daughter's hair.  I raised sons.  I don't do hair.  Take a look at my own hair and you could tell that!  I'm not like my daughter-in-law, Christina, who can use a twisty tie and a paper clip and loop, swoop, and pull her hair into a hair style worthy of a runway! 

I know rubber bands, headbands, hair pins, and barrettes.  And I only know the basics of those!  When someone gives me a hair compliment (about the girls) it is because I have adorned their hair with something cute.  NOT because I have styled it well.  But I'm trying people!  I'm trying!

Another thing I have learned about little girl hair is that hair products and hair accessories (yes, there are "accessories" for hair) are not cheap.  And I have twins, so I have to buy DOUBLE everything.

It's enough to make me crazy sometimes.  It really is.  Boys were easy.

Bowl cuts.  check. 

Hats for bad hair cuts.  check.

Buzz cuts for really bad hair cuts.  check.

Done.

Girls, not so much.

Anyway, in honor of girl's hair, my weekend giveaway are these super cute hair products ACCESSORIES from Mocha Baby Designs.

 

I've attached a link to her etsy shop (don't you love etsy!) so you can see all of her other sweet designs.  (She makes tons of other stuff too!)

Here's how you enter to win!
 1.  Follow my blog (yes, it's shameless. I readily admit it.  But do it.)  Sometimes that's complicated from a smartphone.  You have to scroll down to "view web version" and click that link.  Then follow me via the "Join this site" button.  It's worth the effort because you want these darling little holiday hair clips!)
2.  Comment on this post (not on facebook, well, facebook is awesome, but you have to post directly on this blog post.)  If you just "follow" and don't COMMENT, I won't know who you are!

That's it!  (well, also you can't be anonymous b/c then I won't know who the winner is, so if you comment as "anonymous" please type in your name so I know who you are!)

All that to say, I love weekend giveaways.  And you will too (if you're the winner!)

UPDATE:  AND THE WINNER IS DESIREE!  (Desiree, I need your address so you can receive your prize!  Please email it to me at cjones3730@gmail.com)

Day 76: Cinnamon Sweet Latte - The Goods

I am a coffee drinker, a curse . . . er . . . fact I blame on my good friend, Melanie Holmes.  Melanie was a coffee drinker long before I was, and she convinced me (more like COERCED me) to try coffee "her way."

Her way was flavored with a lot of yummy stuff in it.  And I have to say, I was hooked, literally.  I think Melanie has matured into a real coffee drinker, but I still like it sweet, hot, and full of flavors!

Oh, and, before I forget to mention it, Melanie's husband, Brian has a coffee company called Mark's Brother's Big World Coffee that does some pretty amazing things to help the poor in 3rd World Countries.  Please click on their link and check them out.  And order some coffee.  Feed your habit and feed the world!

Okay, now back to my special coffee.

I created a special nighttime coffee a lot of years back, and it's a recipe I have shared with LOTS of people.  Funny thing though, EVERYONE tells me that when they make it, it's good, but just not the same as when I make it.  (They aren't following directions . . . I'm just sayin'.)

So, I want you to follow my recipe, exactly as it is written, and then you tell me what you think of it!  Then I want you to comment about its yumminess (here on this blog, not on facebook, of course you should tell your facebook friends how yummy this coffee is because they will be thanking you for sharing something so wonderful!)

Once I think everyone has had a chance to make my special coffee and comment, I'm going to draw names from the people who comment, and I'm going to send the winner some free coffee from Mark's Brother's Big World Coffee (courtesy of me!)

Here's the goodness:
2-4 cups of coffee
1/4 -1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 cup of half and half
2 tablespoons of sugar

Make a small pot of coffee (2-4 cups is plenty.)
It has to be real coffee, not that keurig thing or anything like it.
Put cinnamon in the grounds BEFORE it brews.

While it's brewing, get out a microwave safe coffee cup and fill it halfway with half and half and 2 tablespoons (yes tablespoons!) of sugar.
(You can be dumb if you want and used low-fat milk, but it will NOT be as good!) 

Then microwave it right up to the point that it just about boils over.  You're going to have to watch it like a hawk because it will try really hard to boil over, and if it does, it's a terrible mess!  But it HAS TO BOIL.  It can't just get hot.  This is important!

Now, remove the cup from the microwave and fill it the rest of the way up with your brewed cinnamon coffee.

This coffee is so delicious.  My friends, Kelly Sherrill and Caroline Roberts and I used to drink it every Wednesday night when we had Girls' Night In.  And every single time, when they would take their first sip they would say, "mmmmm.  That's so good."

All that to say, I am going to go make myself a cup of my nighttime brew and think of my friends.  Good friends, good memories, good coffee.  It somehow all fits together.  ENJOY!

(And don't forget to come back and comment on how good it was so I can send you some coffee from Mark's Brothers!)

UPDATE:  THE WINNER IS RUTH ANN MITCHELL!