Be Part of Something Big!

 I recently saw this post, thanks to a link I found.  It looks like a great idea to me, and although I can't afford to contribute yet - I hope to come payday.  This sounds like something the Kiddo would go nuts over - he is all about electronics (especially gaming), and he has been begging us for a high-powered system.  If these folks succeed, we might be able to afford it!  I definitely wanted to share with my wonderful readers, though, as I am a HUGE fan of supporting small businesses & startups.  I also totally agree with their policy that we all have the right to custom merchandise without the custom price tag.

Read through the pitch, and if you agree I would really encourage you to click on the icon or on this link & go support them!  If you can't support them, then please spread the word - I don't know about you, but I'd love to see this happen!

 

Never Settle For Mass-Produced.

Your gear should be as unique as you are.  Crystal Class Custom Computers will be a way to let every geek, gamer, business professional and home computer user have the system they want at the price they can afford.  We don't think that a custom system should cost $3000 or more unless YOU want it to!
We are calling our company Crystal Class to celebrate the individuality we cherish.  Just like no two natural crystals are alike, no two of our systems will ever be alike unless that is the request the customer makes.
Along with the custom built computers we plan to offer, we also plan to provide computer hardware repairs at a fair price.  No more mysterious fees if we have anything to say about it!
We've told you our dream - will you help us make it real?

For The Numbers People (You Know Who You Are).

We need to raise roughly $10,000.  This will allow us to purchase parts for our initial run of builds.  It will also allow us to start a marketing campaign and obtain a larger workspace.  We're pretty sure our teenager would not appreciate his bed being swapped for a work table.  But he is a teenage boy, so you never know.
While to us, $10000 sounds like an astronomical amount to be asking for, we know that when groups of people come together and all pitch in, it can happen.

However, if we don't reach the full goal, rest assured that every penny will still be put to good use for the above reasons - just on a smaller scale.

If Contributing Financially Just Isn't Doable.

We get it!  After all, we're the ones asking for start-up help!  You can still be a major part of team Crystal Class!  Tell everyone you know about our company.  Send them here to Indiegogo.  Even easier - use the Indiegogo share tools.  We know there are a LOT of people out there who use computers - let's work together to make sure that everyone who wants their system  to express their style can do it!

Christmas In July!

I love Christmas!  The Husband & I both do, actually - super lucky for me.  So, I had to hop on here to share with you all about a giveaway I found!  The American Greetings Christmas in July giveaway!  3 winners will each get a $500 gift card to get a start on their Christmas shopping!  Who wouldn't like that?  So anyway, go ahead & click on the badge to the right, and go enter - or don't, since I really REALLY want to win this! Seriously though, go enter - good luck!

Great Busy Night Dinner! **Annie's Homegrown Frozen Entree Review**

Hello my wonderful readers!  I hope some of you are still with me!  I know it's been a VERY long time since I've posted anything, and I promise you I won't abandon this blog for such a long time again.

To make it up to you, I am going to tell you about a fantastic new item I had the chance to try!  I'm sure you all know how it goes - you want to serve your family a great homemade meal every night, full of fresh ingredients and NOT full of all those nasty chemicals.  The problem is, I'm sure you (like me and pretty much everyone else we all know) also have jobs, kids, husbands or wives, meetings, a home to take care of - or some combination of any or all of these things.  In other words - life.  If you are anything like me, it gets OH so tempting to order a pizza or hit a drive through.  Not exactly that nice home-cooked meal we were hoping to make, is it?

Well folks, this is where that great new item comes in!  See the shiny new icon on the right hand side of my blog?  If you click it, you will go to Influenster.  Go ahead, click it & come back - this post will still be here.  Trust me - you'll want to click it.  They are great!  They gave me the chance to try out a FANTASTIC new frozen meal from Annie's Homegrown.  Yes, Annie's is the company with the cute bunny logo.  You've probably seen them in the natural food aisle, with their pastas & snacks.  They make a lot more than that - Pizza, salad dressings, etc.  Today, though, I'm going to tell you about their new line of frozen entrees.

I know, you're probably all thinking I'm crazy.  Here I was just talking about wanting to make a dinner without chemicals or anything like that and then I go mentioning frozen entrees.  Don't leave in disgust!  I promise - Annie's is different!  We're talking real, fresh food here!  I could even pronounce all the ingredients - so could the husband (and he hates to read).  We got a coupon to try one of these new frozen entrees for free, so we picked up their lasagna with meat sauce.  The husband is a lasagna snob, he won't eat anything other than my homemade-from-scratch-never-on-a-weeknight lasagna.  I mean this guy won't even order it in a restaurant!  Well guess what - he LOVED it!  This stuff had great tasting sauce, the noodles came out perfect, and it even had all that gooey melty cheese we all love! Yum!

I think the only thing I would change was that it was a little on the under-sauced side, but that's really a matter of personal preference.  We like a lot of sauce in our lasagna.  It was a bit small, so if the teenager was there for dinner it might not have stretched quite far enough - but he's a teenage boy, which pretty much means if it's not nailed down or raw he'll inhale it (we don't have leftovers anymore).  For the husband & I, though, it was perfect with some garlic bread & a quick salad.  We were in the middle of moving, and it was a work night (like I said, life happens), and I was able to get an almost-from-scratch meal on the table very quick!

There are three other varieties to try as well - Shells & White Cheddar with Chicken, Classic Macaroni & Cheese, and Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese - something for every family!

If you go to the Annie's Facebook page you can even download a coupon to save $2 on these great new entrees!  Try them out for yourself, and let me know what you think!

See - aren't you glad you read all the way through my ramblings? 


**I received a free product voucher to test this product.  All opinions are my own**

We Have a Winner... I Think!

Looks like we have a winner for the Tropical Traditions giveaway - just waiting for the company to confirm that the winner has indeed completed the mandatory entry.

Thanks so much for entering, everyone!

Tropical Traditions Review & Giveaway!

Yes folks, it's finally here!  Now that the craziness of the holidays has died down, I'm back.  I am SO excited to share this with you all, too!

Recently, Tropical Traditions was super generous & sent me a 1 quart jar of their Gold Label Coconut Oil to try out.  I am pretty sure it is my all-time favorite multi purpose oil!  I now use it for cooking (everything!), as a moisture boost for my hair, and whatever else I can come up with.  The husband (who REALLY is not a coconut fan) was amazed when he asked what I cooked his dinner in - he said it tasted even better than usual.  Imagine the grin on my face when I told him it was coconut oil!

Want to try for yourself?  Now you can!  The wonderful folks at Tropical Traditions are giving you the chance to win a jar!  Ready?  Here we go! (No skipping to the bottom, either - there's good information coming up!)

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for Coconut Oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website:

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.



OK, did you read it all?  Now here are the rules.  Yes there are rules - I have to have some way to pick the winner, don't I?

The giveaway will run until Saturday the 2nd at 9pm pacific time (yup, only one week - this stuff is THAT good, I want you to get it as soon as possible to try out).

The first (and MANDATORY) entry is: you need to subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter. Yes, this will be verified.  Come back & tell me you subscribed.

The second entry is to follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter at @TropTraditions.  Come back & tell me your handle.

Good Luck Everyone!





Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

Check your Email!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a response from the original winner of the Melissa & Doug giveaway.  Fortunately for one of you - a new winner has been chosen & emailed.  Go check!  The winner has 24 hours to confirm...

 It's official!  Congratulations to Laura Miller for winning the Wildlife Rescue Sorting Truck!

Giveaway Has Ended...

A winner has been chosen in the Melissa & Doug giveaway - thanks so much to everyone who entered!  I have contacted the winner, and as soon as they respond I will post congratulations to them!

I have some fun things coming up this month, including another giveaway!  Stay tuned, everyone - hope you're as excited as I am!