Giveaway Winner!

Okay ... whoops. I know I said I would announce the winner of the giveaway on Friday, but to be honest, I totally forgot. On Saturday morning, Matt and I drove to Michigan for a quick trip to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. Plus - how exciting!!!! My friends Kyle AND Jenny both had their babies on Saturday morning! Which is just amazing. I am so excited to meet both of these sweet little girls!!!

Anyway. Anyway! See how easily distracted I am these days?!

Drumroll please.................. the winner of the $45 gift card to CSN Stores is:

B.E.G.!!!!! Excitement! Girl - you know what to do. Drop me a line and I will email you your code!!

Hmmmm remember me?

I have sucked at blogging lately ... so, so much. I feel like I've been trying to get back in the swing of things for MONTHS. What is up with that?! So I will try to make it up to you ... with a GIVEAWAYYYYYYY.

Did it work yet?

CSN stores is generously giving away a $45 gift certificate to one of my lovely readers! If you have been living under a rock and haven't heard of CSN stores before, they literally have everything under the sun - especially kitchen stuff - from adjustable bar stools to a panini press to Le Creuset to, well, literally everything.

To enter: just leave me a comment about what your favorite kitchen item is! Extra entry if you are a follower - just let me know! Enter by Friday at 5pm - winner will be announced that evening!

The fine print: you can use the gift credit for any CSN store, but it does NOT cover shipping costs.

Weeeeeeekend!

TGIF, y'all! Any big weekend plans? Tomorrow, Kyle and I are heading to Indy so that she can help me finally use the Anthropologie gift card I won way back in March from Jane. I still have no idea what I'm going to get, but of course I perused the website a little bit this evening and found a few fall things that are on my radar ...

Lady's Choice Cardigan - LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS ONE

Split Decision Cardigan

Encased-In-Vines Cardigan

Dwarf Quince Cardigan

Arte Cardigan

Kirklees Sweater Coat

Tea House Cardi

Fall Foliage Cardigan

Talavera Cardigan

Which do you like the best?

Oops!

I know I said I would post the giveaway winner on Thursday, but ... Thursday was busy. After work, I got ready for my weekend, went for a run, went for a walk, and then met my friend Becky for dinner, drinks and Sex and the City!!!! Has anyone else seen the new movie yet? I want to talk about it. But I'll wait until next week - maybe more of you will have seen it by then. :)

So then yesterday, I got up and drove to Michigan - I'm at my parents' house for the long weekend. Plus, tomorrow is my mom's birthday! Today, I am taking her out for lunch and

pedis, and then I think we are going to do some shopping. ANYWAY. So, long story short, I've been busy.

That being said ... I am sooooo very happy and excited to announce that the winner of the $40 CSN Stores giveaway is ...

MTM!!!!

Yay! M - I will give CSN your email address and they will send you the code directly. Congrats!!!

Giveaway!!!!!!

What? I didn't mention anything about a giveaway? You're right. I wanted to keep it a surprise. Because Mondays suck pretty bad, I felt like posting about a giveaway on a Monday would maybe perk you up a little bit. Yes? I thought so.

Without further ado ... the totally awesome CSN Stores has graciously offered to give away a $40 gift certificate to one of my lucky readers. If you're not already familiar with the online powerhouse that is CSN, check it out! They have everything you can think of under the sun, from sectional sofas to kitchen gadgets to luxury items like designer purses. This is a pretty neat opportunity ... I would really like to have $40 to spend there. Or more.

Anyway, here are the deets!

To enter, you MUST go to one of the CSN websites and let me know what you want to get if you win!!!

For additional entries:

1. Become a follower! Bring on the love. (1 extra entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway and/or stick it on your sidebar somewhere. Make sure to leave me a link! (1 extra entry)

Please let me know how many entries you have in one single comment. Thanks! The giveaway ends Wednesday night at 10pm eastern - this is a quickie! And I'll announce the winner on Thursday. Good luck!!!

Diamonds!

I usually don't blog about giveaways - I put them over in my sidebar so you can check them out at your leisure. But when I saw that Suburban Housewive-In-Training is giving away a pair of diamond earrings from Kohls ... well, call me crazy, but it seems like diamonds always deserve their own post. :)

So! Head over to her blog and check out the giveaway - hurry. because there isn't much time left! Also, I hope that nobody reads this so that my odds of winning are much higher. :)

Eye Candy

Warning: This post will make you want to buy pretty things.

A few weeks ago, I won what was possibly the best blog giveaway EVER from Jane at Moonflowers, Mojitos and Me - a $100 gift card to Anthropologie. I KNOW. I know you're jealous. It's pretty freaking amazing. I wanted to win this giveaway SO BADLY that I would not stop talking about it to Lucy. She said that, if she somehow won the giveaway, she would just give me the gift card because she had never heard of Anthro before. Clearly, she just wanted me to shut up. ANYWAY ... I just want to give a huge, public THANK YOU to Jane for hosting such an amazing giveaway. It really cheered me up, and I have spent the last few weeks fantasizing about what I will buy with my gift card. So, without further ado, here are about 100 things I'd like to buy with my $100 gift card. :)

The Ebbing Tide Maillot

The Accommodating Maillot

The High Dive Maillot

The Nearly Nautical Bikini

The Gingham & Geranium Bikini

The First Mate Blazer

The Peking Lace Blazer

The Factory Floral Skirt

The Penciled Abronia Skirt

The Abuzz Cardi

The Tucked-Away Blooms Cardigan

The Field Game Cardigan

The Breezy Ride Cardigan

The Minas Tank

The Wrapped-Around Cowlneck

The Hidden Hummingbird Tank

The Paperpetals Tee

The Hourglass Surplice

The Meeting Place Tank

The Midnight Roses Top

The Leading Role Dress

The Tonal Gingham Dress (I think this one is my favorite!)

The Rising Vapor Dress

The Hello, Good Day Dress

The Speckled Ink Dress

The Rainforest Morning Shirtdress

Sushi Giveaway!

So, I forgot to mention that I WON A GIVEAWAY!  Yesterday in the mail, I received a fabulous sushi cookbook along with gorgeous place settings for four (bamboo placemats, chopsticks, the whole nine yards!) from Alice over at A Balancing Act in Heels.  I LOVE sushi, and so many of my happy memories with Matt involve a huge sushi dinner.  Without further ado, here are some photos of my big prize!

Here's Oscar, checking out his new sushi stuff!  THANKS ALICE!!!!

Fantabulously Frugal Giveaway

I mentioned this in my sidebar, but I realized that this is way too good a giveaway NOT to post about!

Lisa from Fantabulously Frugal is giving away a HUGE AMAZING PACKAGE of over $300 worth in goodies!  They include:  

Decorative envelopes from etsy seller Adnagam

Frango Dark Chocolate Mints

Sunshine Yellow Hair Pins from etsy seller creamrose

Purple Rain Amethyst Earrings from etsy seller Sew*Cool Design

Paperchase 8 Folded Cards with Envelopes

Small change purse from etsy seller Made by Hank

Cucumber Melon Salty Soap Scrub from etsy seller Sissy Soap

Soap Nuts from Laundry Tree

Spring Flower Garden Cupcake Liners from etsy seller Layer Cake Shop

2 Vera Bradley cloth napkins

Musings Recycled Notebook in Blue from etsy seller subu

Fleur de Lis Necklace from etsy seller Bumble Beadz

Marc Jacobs key fob

Stationery and small letter-pressed notebook from etsy seller Sarah Drake

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex

Coriander Ivory Small Cosmetic Bag from etsy seller The Sweet Sugar Beet

Smashbox Lip Gloss

Reusable Sandwich & Snack Bags from etsy seller Green Street

Reversible Coffee Sleeve from etsy seller LilE

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

OPI Nail Polish

Stick With Me, Kid Shopping Tote from etsy seller Earth Cadets

As well as MANY MORE surprises!

Holy moly!!!  What an amazing giveaway!  Get yourself over there STAT to enter.  Make sure you tell her I sent you!  

Dog Tag Giveaway Winner!

Well, this was a quick but fun little giveaway. I didn't have too many people enter, which means that your chances of winning were significantly higher! :)

I wrote everyone down on a piece of paper and used random.org to find my winning number. I know that someday, I'll figure out how to make the little random.org box show up on my blog. But until then, it will be a little less...high tech. Let's see who it is, shall we?

Yay! The dog tag goes to Taryn from The Colorado Desert, who said: I would totally get the puppy foot one in green for my parents' dog, Jacques. I love the little guy so much!

Congrats, Taryn! Leave a comment with your email address and we'll get in touch. :)

Open apology to cat owners

Dear Cat Owners Who Read My Blog,

I owe you a sincere apology for being so dog-centric in my giveaway post yesterday. Please note that this giveaway is not limited to ONLY dog owners...as some of the dog tags are more animal-ambiguous and can be for cats, too. The small size should be perfect for cats, FYI.

If you are a cat owner and would like to enter the giveaway, please do so! By noon EST.

Graciously,

Mrs. Smith

MONDAY GIVEAWAY!

Since Mondays aren't any fun, how about making it a little sweeter with a quick giveaway???!!!!

This one is really just for dog owners - sorry to everyone else! Just over a month ago, I entered a giveaway over at an awesome dog blog called Biscuits and Bellyrubs for one of the awesome Red Dingo dog tags below:

Of course, seeing as how I never win anything, I quickly forgot about entering this giveaway and, since Oscar needed a new tag after our move to Indiana, I bought this red fire hydrant tag for him (how cute is that one??!!). Well, last week, I found out that I won the giveaway! Which, in turn, I'd now like to turn into a giveaway for YOU.

I absolutely LOVE the dog tag I got for Oscar. It is very high quality - very thick, unlike the ones you get at the pet store. Plus...the designs are really cute, and there are a ton of colors. You can pick out what design and colors you like here at Pretty Personal Gifts - another great website and blog you should check out! The tags come in small, medium and large, FYI, for (almost) every size of dog!

So, here's how to win:

-Go to the Pretty Personal Gifts website and tell me what design/color you like for one entry
-Become a follower for two entries
-Become a follower over at Biscuits and Bellyrubs for three entries
-Blog about this giveaway for four entries

That's it! This is going to be a quickie - so, make sure to enter by....noon tomorrow. I'll pick a winner tomorrow afternoon! Good luck!

I just can't wait any longer

I was planning on waiting to post the winner of my giveaway until tomorrow...but then I saw that Lisa posted HER winner tonight and, well...I just couldn't wait until tomorrow!!!

So, here is the deal. This giveaway is NOT just limited to the four items we listed in the initial post! The winner is getting so, SO much more than a few Midwest-themed sweet things. The winner will be receiving a box CHOCK FULL (is that how you spell "chock"???) of goodies! I'd go into some of the fun details, but...I'd rather they be a good surprise.

SO without any further ado, here are the nitty gritty details: I had 30 wonderful bloggers enter this giveaway with a total of 96 entries. Using the random number generator, I came up with #82.

Who is #82, you may ask?

IT'S JENN FROM JEANS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BLOG TWIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so super excited - Jenn has been a loyal reader/follower/commenter from the beginning, and I'm thrilled that she will be receiving this little (huge) goody box!

Jenn - drop me an email/comment/facebook message!

Thanks to all who entered my very first giveaway - and my very first joint giveaway at that! Lisa and I had so much fun putting this all together, and - for my brand-new readers out there, hello! I know I've been pretty absent this week, but I'm back now! Thanks for stopping by, and keep reading!

I'm back!

Hi everyone!  Oh my gosh, I missed you.  And I missed my Google Reader.  I haven't felt this disconnected in awhile!  I currently have 820 unread posts on my Reader.  I'd have way more...but I've been trying to catch up here and there on my Blackberry.  Whew!  

So, tell me - what's going on?  How are you?  Did I miss anything?  Did I win any great giveaways?  :)  One can only hope...

Speaking of giveaways, I have picked one for my half of the Best of the Midwest Giveaway!  I won't release the name until tomorrow, but I WILL tell you that I am THRILLED with the winner!  This particular bloggie friend is one of my most dedicated readers and commenters.  I can't wait to tell you who it is tomorrow!

In other news...my vacation has truly been fabulous.  I am even ready to go back to work tomorrow!  I think it will feel good to get back in the swing of things.  Anyone else ever feel like that?  

Mr. Smith and I are currently in the basement of the IU Library, using the internet.  Looking forward to getting back to my work computer!  

I hope that everyone has had a great week - I'll start reading and commenting again asap!

Missed you!

The last day

Have you entered my giveaway yet? What about Lisa's?

If not, you'd better hurry...it stops at noon tomorrow!

Mid-vacation post

I know, I know. I'm not very good at taking a blog vacation. Because here I am, on Wednesday, with just a quick post. I just miss you guys! :)

I hope by now you've entered my giveaway...if not, CLICK HERE and enter immediately! You won't want to pass this one up...I wish that I could win! Seriously! I would gladly just keep all these goodies...but instead, I'm GIVING THEM AWAY. Can you believe it?

Anyway...my spring break has been fabulous so far! Lisa, her boyfriend Randy, and our friend Jeff came for the weekend and we had a great time. You can read a little about our weekend here. Plus you get to see a really, really fabulous photo of me.

Just kidding. It's a little scary, actually.

In other news, Mr. Smith and I have been running! We missed our Friday run due to our visitors, but rallied on Monday with a 1.5 mile run. Before Monday, I could never run more than a mile without stopping for a rest.

Well...are you ready for this big news? Guess what we did today? We ran TWO MILES! I cannot believe that I actually ran two whole miles without stopping. Yes, I wanted to die and was pretty sure that at one point, I'd pass out. But I didn't! And I have to admit that I'm really proud of myself. Now, I know I can do it! Yippee!

This post is pretty boring...because that's all I have to say. We're getting ready for my mom's visit - she's coming in tomorrow and will be staying until Sunday. The next time you hear from me...I'll be picking the WINNER for my GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Enter here!
Enter here!
Enter here!

Best. Giveaway. Ever.

Everyone ready for my VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY??? 

This is a JOINT GIVEAWAY with Lisa from Like A Valentine.  We have put together a "Best of the Midwest" gift basket showcasing some of our favorite tasty food items!  Lisa and I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan.  We went to high school together in Ferndale, Michigan.  Then, we both attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  After graduation, Lisa moved to Chicago and, eventually, I ended up in Bloomington, Indiana.

We decided to put together this joint giveaway so that you can experience some of our favorite local midwestern things!  We have items from Michigan, Chicago, and Bloomington.  Here's what you'll get:

From Michigan:  A bottle of Sander's Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge from Mrs. Smith.  This is the best hot fudge I have ever tasted!  And Sanders is a Michigan owned and operated company.  

From Lisa, you will receive a magic brownie (no, not THAT kind of magic brownie!) from Zingerman's.  Zingerman's is a world-famous deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  They have some of the best baked goods, corned beef, and cheese!  If you ever pass through Ann Arbor, Zingerman's is a must-stop deli.    

From Chicago:  A box of Vosges organic peanut butter bonbons.  Vosges is Chicago-based.  Have you ever had any Vosges chocolate?  If not...run out and buy a chocolate bar asap.  

From Bloomington:  A package of locally made artisan marshmallows.  After one bite, you'll be hooked!  Trust me.  This is a relatively new local company, and they have been selling their marshmallows at the farmer's market every Saturday.  Check out their website - I'd love to give them some new business!

PLUS a whole host of other exciting treats and surprises!  All packaged in a lovely photo storage box.

SO!  How can you enter?  You'll get...

-One entry for commenting on my blog

-One entry for commenting on Lisa's blog

-Two entries for following my blog AND Lisa's - you must be a follower of BOTH blogs in order to get two entries!

-Three entries for posting about this giveaway and referencing BOTH blogs.

SO, you have a total of seven possible entries!  

We will be choosing TWO WINNERS, one on each blog.  Lisa and I will each choose a winner on SUNDAY, MARCH 22nd at NOON.  

START NOW!!!!!

Blog vacation

Hi everyone!

Just a quick message to let you know that - I'm on spring break! And, due to limited internet access at home, I'll be taking a blog vacation. I'll be back full-time on March 23rd.

Lisa got here last night, along with her boyfriend Randy and our friend Jeff. We are headed to Indianapolis this afternoon for some March Madness basketball! The boys will be going to see the Michigan game while Lisa and I will be doing...something else.

And - tomorrow or Sunday, watch out for my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Trust me. You won't want to miss this one!

Have a great week - I'll miss you!

Giveaways galore

I wanted to take a quick moment to post about two awesome giveaways!

The first you can find here at the Sweet Tea Diaries. It's kind of the most amazing giveaway ever...and is completely cupcake-themed! The highlights include:

• A cupcake cookbook
• Super cute cupcake stand
• Potholder/oven mitt set
• Kitchen towels AND kitchen towel hooks
• Sprinkles
• Cupcake notecards
• AND a tin full of chocolate!

It's pretty extreme. You only have until 11:59pm tonight to enter...so DON'T! Because I want to win.

The second giveaway is Lisa's first ever giveaway!!!! So exciting!!! She is giving away some awesome stuff, including:

• Banana nut cheerios! I haven't seen these in the stores but would love to try them!!!
• Super cute fruit basket with banana stand! I mean...who doesn't need a banana stand???
• A really nice loaf pan (I need this...mine is pretty nasty!)
• Some plastic bowls, good for kitchen prep!

So - head on over to her blog and check it out!

Best. Giveaway. Ever.

Okay. This seems to be for real, and I am freaking out.

The Tale of a Southern Belle is giving away A TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS!

I know, I know, but try to calm down. I was hesitant to post about this giveaway, because I DON'T WANT YOU TO WIN but I decided the extra entries were worth it!!!!!