Great Giveaways!

 I love beautiful pictures.  My featured image is from the beautiful state of Utah and KSL.com. You really should come and visit!  

 
Win 2 great hair care products from Misikko at The Nutritionist Reviews!  Ends 8/8/10!

Win a $100 Gift Certificate to CSN at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor!  This is truly a $100 post as well!  The pictures are beautiful!  Ends 8/23/10!

Win a $60 CSN Gift Certificate at Lily Bean Designs!!  Ends 8/12/10! 

Win $100 from CSN at Cake Blast!  Ends 8/20/10! 

$40 Gift Card to CSN at Lime Green Dreams! 
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Blog Hop Friday

Today I would love to enter as many blog hops as I can!  I really don't know if I will get around to all of them.  My goodness!  But I'm giving away a Casio Exilim EX-Z550 Camera!  It will be for followers only, not my normal mode of operation, but I want to thank my followers you see!  So if you're not in the following mode, that's totally OK, because most of my giveaways are no follow required!  Thanks to Review Retreat for the list!  And have a great weekend!

Casio Exilim EX-Z550 Camera Giveaway!

Drumroll please!  The winner of the Casio Exilim EX-Z550 Camera is #2 Sable!  The winner was chosen through a random number generator, Random.org, and will be notified with e-mail.  You have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected!  Thank you ALL for participating!

The beautiful Casio Exilim EX-Z550 in pink

I'm SO excited to offer this giveaway to my own followers!  I want to extend this to my followers to show you how much I appreciate that little extra effort when you opt to subscribe to or follow my blog.  No one made you, but you did it anyway.  Thanks so very much!

This camera is absolutely beautiful!  It offers a longer 4X Zoom and intelligent modes that offer versatility and simplify photography!  It can record HD video and has YouTube capability. The retail price is $169.  

As you may be aware, Casio offers a wide array of fine products.  I own several of their calculators, all of which are wonderful.  I now also own this very camera and I love it!

So, let's get to the giveaway!  Casio is extremely kind to offer one of my followers a Casio Exilim EX-Z550 in their choice of color!  Please complete the mandy before all other entries!

Mandy:
Visit this page in Casio's on-line catalog and tell me a feature that you like about this camera.  You must also be a follower on Google Friend!

Additional Entries:

+1 Go here and tell me what color camera you'd like!

+1 Go here to tell me what other products Casio offers and which one you're interested in besides the camera!

+1 Sign up for Casio's newsletter!

+3 Sign up for my e-mail updates!

+1 Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway!  (Good for one entry per day)

+1 Tell me how you found my site!

+1 Enter any of my other giveaways and let me know which ones you entered!

+2 Grab my button and post it on your blog!  Leave me the link

+3 Blog, Facebook, Stumble it or Link it up on a linky!  Leave me the link where you did it!  You can do as many of these methods as you'd like for 3 entries each!

Well, I think that is about enough entries, don't you?  This giveaway will close at 11:59 pm on Friday, August 15th MST.  I hope that you have fun entering this giveaway!  I personally hope that someone who really needs this camera will win!  Thank you Casio for this great giveaway! I was given this camera because of a win on another blog and I really needed it.  Joyce at Casio kindly consented to do a giveaway for my blog as well!  Also, thanks to Shauna at Trying To Stay Calm!

Great Giveaways!

 Win a $35 Gift Card to CSN at My Four Monkeys! Ends 8/2/10!

Win a Doggie Doo Drain for your pets waste at Pets And The People They Own!  Ends 8/15/10

Win 'Personal Training With Jackie' DVD at The Nutritionist Review!  Ends 8/1/10!

Win a 10" Open Skillet from Xtrema Cookware at Leslie Loves Veggies!  Ends 8/8/10!

Win a $70 Gift Certificate to CSN at Great Blog Giveaways!  Ends 8/7/10!

Win a $100 Amazon Gift Card at Freebies and Much More!  Ends 7/31/10!


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Friendly Wednesday

I just ran across a new meme that looks really fun and so here it is!  Friendly Wednesday at Feeding Four!  This gal feeds her family on $25 a week!  That is impressive and I am so interested in how she does it.  So she definitely gets my follow for that!  Go check it out! 

Wednesday Whimsies

I am excited this morning.  I just read a very interesting article about exercise effectiveness!  Apparently, not only does exercise help with the obvious things like body fat, weight loss, heart disease and diabetes, it also helps with brain function and the production of the all-important HGH!  But it needs to be a certain kind of exercise.  The common low-intensity aerobics and strength training exercises won't help build HGH.  It's only the high intensity plyometric exercises that do that, combined with strength training.  

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 The good news is that you don't have to do it very long OR very often. Also, never ever eat sugar or fruit juice 2 hours after exercise.  It totally kills the HGH effect. Anyway, before I go off on a tangent, I want to try these exercises for myself.  The first thing I need is a heart monitor b/c you need to get your heart rate up to a certain level and it's easy to under-estimate your heart rate during exercise   You can read more about this here! 

Next on the agenda is a new blog hop that I'd like to try out. It's called Green Blog Hop Wednesday and is found at Going Green With Noah, And Then There Were 4 and Tales of The Wife!  It's for those of us who are interested in trying to improve our planet and our lives by using more natural things, recycling, being kind to animals, etc.  I think I fit into that category somewhat because 1) I prefer using products with natural ingredients and do my best to find them, 2) I believe in recycling as much as possible and not wasting things, 3) I love animals and promote kindness to animals.  If you feel like you fit into the green category at all, you can join this blog hop today! 




I would love for you to enter the giveaways I have up right now, if they interest you.  Later this week I will be putting up another giveaway that you won't want to miss for a Casio Elixim Camera with YouTube capability!  Entering my current giveaways will count as extra entries.  So please feel free!

Have a great day!

Apricot Jam Escapade

My husband and I have noticed for several years that a local park in the area has a couple of trees that get loaded with apricots every summer.  They fall to the ground and get stepped on, making a squishy mess underneath the branches.  This year we decided to help the situation.

Early one morning this week, we snuck over went to this park with a ladder, a tarp, a bucket, a rake and our dog.  We spread the tarp under the branches of the tree and Greg started shaking and hitting them with the rake.  As they fell I gathered them up and put them in the bucket.  We did this for about an hour.  Afterwards, we played frisbee with our border collie, Evee!  It was an all-around good time. 

 The work began the next day.   The apricots were washed, pitted but not peeled (hey, more fiber that way), boiled with pectin and sugar, put in jars, lidded and put in the bath.  Since neither of us are canning experts, we under-estimated the amount of apricots that we needed in order to make 12 jars of jam.  We ended up with 8 jars of jam and some left-over apricots to give to some friends.  I even made a batch of freezer spread with a recipe I got over at Tight Wad In Utah.  I actually like the spread better because there is less sugar.  But for those cold winter mornings, there will be nothing better than hot, buttered toast with a glaze of homemade apricot jam!  I'm glad that hubs likes to do this kind of thing with me.  It makes it more enjoyable!

SafeTPet Collar Giveaway

Congratulations to #37, Clenna, winner of the SafeTPet Personalized Pet Collar!  She said:

#3 I friend you on FB but sent you a message instead of) writing on your wall (couldn't do that till you ok the request = so I sent email instead You will be contacted with e-mail and notified!  Thanks to all who entered!  Also, thanks to SafeTPet for this fun giveaway!




SafeTPet has a great selection of designer collars, for your dog or cat!  Any cat would love to wear one of the exclusive designer kitty collars!

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And any dog would love to sport these yuppie canine collars!
One of their best-selling items are their personalized collars for both cats and dogs!  They are sturdy, high quality, and are responsible for many a happy reunion between owner and pet.  I'm glad that I've got one for my pet.  You can get one for your pet too!  Personalized dog collars are $14.99 and personalized kitty collars are $11.49.   Of course SafeTPets has much more than just collars.  For instance, I love the idea of a food scoop that doubles as a food bag clip!

SafeTPet would like to give away one of their personalized cat or dog collars!  Here is what you can do to get one!


Complete the mandy first: Visit SafeTPet and tell me something they have besides their dog and cat collars.  

Other entries (leave a comment if worth +1, leave multiple comments for entries worth more than one:

+2 Follow me on Twitter! Leave your Tweet handle! 

+1 Tweet out this giveaway! You can copy and paste this: 

#Giveaway for a dog or cat personalized collar w/ your choice of color from http://safetpet.com/ @melahelen http://tiny.cc/j3z5a 8/10/10!   (1 entry each time you tweet.  1X daily)

+1 Do you have a dog or a cat? What do you love about your pet?

+2 Read my review about SafeTPet and leave a comment.  Let me know you did!

+3 Friend me on Facebook and leave me a comment over there! I love those comments!

+3 Grab my button and post it on your blog! 

+2 Follow me on Google Friend (publicly please)!

+2 Follow my RSS Feed with any reader you choose!

This giveaway will close on 8/10/10 at 11:59 pm MST!  Thanks for participating and thanks to SafeTPet for the chance to review and host this giveaway!  The opinions in this blog are mine and are honest and candid.  I was provided a product to sample and review!  Winners are chosen with Random.org!  The winner will be announced at the end of the giveaway here on this post!  Check back to see who won!  

Hugs,

Helena

Just The Right Fit

Have you ever met my dog, Evee?  Let me introduce you to her!  She is our Border Collie.  We got her from an ad in our local paper for $50.  The owners just couldn't handle her in their small twin home with the tiny backyard.  They had great intentions...but she was just too much dog for them, at 10 months old.  She had developed some horrible habits.  She snarled at anyone who approached her, including me when I met her for the first time.  It really unnerved me and I thought I was a seasoned dog lover.  She chased down anything moving in her field of vision, including bikes, scooters, joggers, walkers, bikes and cars.  And she was so energetic that she was a pest.  She always wanted to play with toys and fetch her squeaky ball. 

After much deliberation and going back and forth, we decided to get her.  She was to be the replacement for our beloved dog, Daisy, who passed away from Lymphoma. See my tribute to her here! 

Without going into details, we have had Evee now for about 10 months.  She has really come far with her behavior and maturity.  As she approaches the 2 year old mark, we are so glad that we got her.  One of the big problems she had with her former owners, is that she is so very intelligent.  With all that intelligence and no cognitive stimulation or exercise, a dog is bound to get into some really bad habits.  Since I wanted a dog to encourage me to get out of the house and onto the trails, Evee is a perfect match for me.  We get out everyday and run or walk.  I can't, as of yet, take her to crowded places because she still likes to chase things and people.  But she is getting better.  I have taught her how to catch frisbees and she absolutely loves that.  I feel that with time Evee will mature into the ideal dog that Greg and I were looking for.  

 Finally, a word of advice and caution for all those who are looking to bring a new pet into their lives.  Make sure that you have the  right information about the type of dog you want.  If you can't devote a lot of time to your pet, you don't want to get one.  I know of people who have dogs and who never take them out, even to the bathroom.  I feel so sorry for these animals. Animals deserve care and attention, too.

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Recently, I was introduced to a company that provides specialized pet products.  I was really impressed with the prices and the high quality of their personalized dog collars.  The company is called SafeTPet!  I ordered a personalized dog collar for Evee that I absolutely love.  It is very high quality and has her name and phone number  sewn onto it.   Most I.D collars have metal buckle type fastners and the end of the nylon collar dangles and frays.  These don't. There is no extra material dangling down.  You provide the exact measurements of your dogs neck and it is made to fit!  The site is simple to navigate and I like the large color selection. These I.D. collars are great for agility dogs because they are not allowed to wear metal or dangling tags in the ring!

 

Great Giveaways!

Win some adorable squeaky toys from Kyjen.com courtesy of Who Doesn't Love Coupons?  Ends 7/30/10!

Win a Kymaro Body Shaping Prize Pack ($180) at Mom Most Traveled!  Ends 8/5/10!

Go to Mireyah Wolfe's Urban Fantasy Blog to win a $50 CSN Gift Card!  Ens 7/28/10!

Win a RascoDog ReadyLeash at Mommy Wants Freebies!  Ends 8/8/10!

Go to the 500th post celebration at Indian Beauty and Makeup Blog and win some fab prizes!  Ends 8/4/10!



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Tame This Frizz--Tropical Traditions Hair Treatment Giveaway!

Congratulations to #119, Matt4Melis!  You will be contacted with e-mail and if you respond in 48 hours, will receive your gift in the mail from Tropical Traditions!

Everyone needs and wants great hair.  Nutrition has a lot to do with it, as well as hormones, humidity, age and styling choices!  Tropical Traditions has taken advantage of its Pure Virgin Coconut Oil and studies such as the one done in India on 3 types of common natural oils used on hair--sunflower, mineral and coconut. Coconut Oil was the only oil found to reduce protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product!  What does that mean for you and me?  It means that using it will make our hair better!  This is the part where I should add a picture of a gorgeous model swishing her perfect hair around her face in slow motion.  Oops, sorry, couldn't find anything for ya!  But I've got something even better!  Tropical Traditions wants to offer one of you a jar of their pure Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for Hair Treatment!  (Wow!  That's a long name!  Oh well, as long as the stuff works, right? Trust me, it does!)  But first, let me tell you that everything you order at Tropical Traditions by midnight tonight is Free Shipping!  Also, you can buy 1 get 1 free of their Certified Organic Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil!  That's just one of the great deals going on right now!  Check them out!
For first time purchasers, please use the referral code 5954910.  You will receive a complimentary copy of the book :Virgin Coconut Oil:  How It Has Changed People's Lives And How It Can Change Yours' with your purchase.  This book includes over 85 recipies using coconut oil and research showing the health benefits of coconut oil! 

Now back to the giveaway!  Please complete the mandatory entry before you do any of the other entries!  This giveaway is open to US Residents, Canadian Residents, bloggers and non-bloggers. You must be able to have product mailed to a mailing address other than a P.O. Box and must have a valid e-mail address that I do not have to look high and low for.  Good luck!


MANDY: Visit Tropical Traditions on FACEBOOK and like (friend) them.  Leave me your FB friend first name and last initial in your comment! (Ex: Helena.L)

Other Entries:

• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter and tweet this--- "Fight Frizz! #Win @TropTraditions Virgin Coconut Oil Hair Treatment! http://tiny.cc/rk1no #Giveaway Ends 8/12 "  (Can be done 1x daily for 1 entry each) Leave your tweet status!

• Read my Review here and leave a comment.  Come back and let me know you did!  (3 entries) 

• Grab my AGalNeeds...button on the right sidebar and post it on your blog main page!  (3 entries)

•  Subscribe to my RSS Feed in a Reader of your choice.  (3 entries)

• Blog, Stumble or Facebook about this giveaway and tell me where you did by leaving me the link!  (5 entries each method) 

• Follow me on Twitter! (3 entries) 

This giveaway will close on 8/12/10 at 11:59 pm MST!  Thanks for participating and thanks to Tropical Traditions for the chance to review and host this giveaway!  The opinions in this blog are mine and are honest and candid.  I was provided a product to sample and review!  Winners are chosen with Random.org!  The winner will be announced at the end of the giveaway here on this post!  Check back to see who won!  
 Hugs,

Helena

 

Great Giveaways!

I've got a few more CSN Giveaways that I want to win share!


Win a $70 CSN Gift Card Code at Audrey's Giveaways!  Ends 8/14/10!

Win a $40 CSN Gift Certificate at Easy Frugal Living!  Ends 7/25/10!

Win an $80 CSN Gift Certificate at WAHM Resource Site!  Ends 7/26/10

Win a $50 CSN Gift Certificate at The Johns Family!  Ends 7/27/10!

Win a $60 CSN Gift Certificate at  Piece Of Me!  Ends 8/5/10!






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From The Website:
Giveaway Scout is a giveaway search engine.  Users subscribe to receive updates on the latest giveaways on the web.


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To submit your blog all you have to do is post a few lines about Giveaway Scout.  You may also add their widget to your sidebar.  Then fill out the form about your blog and the URL of where you made the post about Giveaway Scout

I think I'll try this!  How about you?