The Simple Woman's Day Book - September Edtion

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Outside my window...it has been another gorgeous, fall-like day! The temps are finally in the 70's, this is my kind of weather!!!!

I am thinking...about putting some auctions on ebay. I haven't listed anything in ages, but I have one last container in the attic with some things I think might sell. I should do this soon! :O)

I am thankful...for so many things....big & small.

In the kitchen...I just put away the left-overs from the delish meal MOM made for us today! {Thanks Mom!!!} I had a SUPER busy day at work, so not having to worry about cooking today was very much appreciated! :O)

I am wearing...jean capris & my Reese's Road t-shirt. If you need encouragement today, just read her story- a truly amazing young lady!

I am creating...or should I say, I'm working on, decorating for FALL! :O) Love this time of year!! I hung my wreath on the front door, put out my fall flag, changed my chalkboard in the kitchen, and started on the mantel...it's a work in progress.

I am going...to officially book the resort/tickets/dinner adrs for the senior trip tomorrow!!! :O)

I am hoping...to go kayaking again....soon!

I am looking forward to...our little mini-vacation after the b&b closes! Peter and I have decided to go to Annapolis for a few nights and possibly driving to D.C. for a day trip while we are there. We hope to take a detour to Baltimore on the way back home to see his aunt & uncle. We haven't seen them in awhile and his aunt has been in the hospital over the summer and recently fell and broke her hip. We really want to see them. I haven't made any reservations yet, but I've been doing some research on things to do, places to eat, and possibilities for where to stay. There are some really beautiful inns to choose from. Can't wait to go!

Around the house...the dust bunnies are trying their hardest to stay hidden for a little longer. I finish up at the b&b in about 3 weeks, then I am going to give our house a thorough cleaning! I'm keeping up with the day to day stuff, but I'm so ready to do some deep cleaning and get organized!

A favorite quote for today...


One of my favorite things...watching football, particularly, the Chicago Bears. Last night's game against the Packers was pretty tough to watch though, to say the least! Their standings, after losing 23-10, the Bears are 1-1 {tied with the Packers}. This picture of QB Cutler pretty much summed up my feelings last night as well.......



A few plans for the rest of the week: work, work, work..............

A peek into my day...
I haven't taken any pictures the past few days. I've been very busy at the b&b. Today, we had a full house check out and fill back up with new guests. We've had some really nice guests this year, and this week especially, which makes my job even better. Last night, we had 4 couples who were repeat guests {always love when guests come back!!}, and today when I checked in one couple, I commented on her Disney tote. She told me she was a travel agent-Disney trips are her specialty! :O) We chatted a little about that {I've mentioned before that my dream job is to be a travel agent}. :O) My day was full of phone calls/housekeeping/laundry/picking up & dropping off guests......just another day in the life of ME!

5Q Friday: It's been awhile

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Linking up for this week's 5Q Friday. It's been awhile since I joined in, but here's my post for today!
1. Do you prefer to drive to your vacation spot or fly?
It depends......if traveling with Peter, we most definitely drive. He hates flying, but {loves} {loves} driving, hence our long drives to WDW. I don't mind road trips, if we have plenty of time to enjoy the drive and stop along the way. We use a GPS, but I like to keep a paper map handy to mark off the miles as we drive...it really passes the time!
I don't mind flying though either, I mean getting from VA to FL in less than 2 hours, that's just a no brainer!!! I've only flown once, but plan to fly again in December when we go to WDW for Nathan's senior trip.


2. If you could live any where in the world, where would you go and why? Probably somewhere farther south....NC, or SC, or GA.....FL would be awesome....warm weather & Disney! :O)
3. Should grown women wear leggings? Certainly, if worn appropriately!

4. If you could change your name to any other name, would you? And what would it be? No, I'll stick with Susan. FYI: my Hebrew name means: Graceful lily.....:O)how fitting...LOL!
5. What magazines do you have subscriptions to? Traditional Home, Family Circle, & Martha Stewart Living for me and Time & SI for the guys.

The Simple Woman's Day Book - October Edition

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FOR TODAY
Outside my window...the sun is finally shining again! After a dreary, chilly, weekend our beautiful, mild, fall weather is back!

I am thinking...how awesome it is to finally be home. :O)

I am thankful...for a great year at the b&b, and how lucky I am to have a job I really love. It doesn't hurt that I only work half of the year and get to stay home the other half!

In the kitchen...I had taco fixings left over from yesterday's dinner, so I made taco salad for lunch!-YUM!

I am wearing...jeans & a white tee

I am creating...a huge list of things I need to buy this fall for our home. Once I start fall cleaning {which I already did}, there are always things I need to finish off the room. Today, I'm finishing up Nathan's room, and his closet needs more bins for storage, which I've been looking for online.

I am going...to book our trip for next February asap! We {Peter & I} will be heading back to WDW mid-February. Disney released their discounts this morning and it looks as though we will be getting FREE DINING!!! More plans to follow......

I am wondering...how Logan is doing.....his boat is in the Gulf, so he's out of cell phone range. Miss his phonecalls...... 

I am reading...nothing.....I haven't read anything in ages....it's on my to-do list!

I am looking forward to...our trip to Annapolis!!

Around the house...there is so much to be done. I finished up work on Monday and started right in with the fall cleaning yesterday. I will finish Nathan's room in a bit. I want to get all the cleaning done and we are having new windows put in....then I can settle back and enjoy the holiday season! :O)

A favorite quote for today...



One of my favorite things...spending time with friends! Yesterday, I finally got to spend a little time with my BFF Wanda. We have been friends since we were pregnant with our oldest kids. We meet twice a month to get our nails done {another favorite thing}, which we did yesterday, but we also added a trip to the ice cream shop to get some pumpkin ice cream {another favorite thing}, then went to a friend's Signature party. It's always nice when we can get together, our lives have gotten way too busy, so it's always good to get caught up {do we ever really get caught up though?}.
Yes, yesterday was a good day!!

A few plans for the rest of the week:more fall cleaning, church tonight, senior parent meeting tomorrow, nothing on the calendar for the weekend.

A peek into my day...
Nathan is selling all the games he never plays @ Amazon.comHe did a trade-in and will earn a $$$ Amazon Gift Card. This is our first time using Amazon, as we usually use GameStop, but the trade-in values were much higher with Amazon. I'll report on this later to see how it goes. They provide prepaid postage for shipping, I just need to get them boxed up and mailed today.

5Q Friday: 10/12/12

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       Linking up for 5Q Friday......1. Did you have any homecoming traditions? Nope
2. Do you ask your spouse before spending money? Nope, unless it's a pretty big purchase, and then still, I wouldn't ask, we'd just discuss it.

3. If you could be famous for something what would it be?

4. Have you ever seriously thought you were going crazy? This question made me laugh, but seriously, no I haven't.


5. How do you eat your steak? Burger? (as in, well done, medium, still moo-ing...) make it medium-well please!!

best.biscuits.ever

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Here's a recipe you MUST try!!!! These are the best.....biscuits.....EVER!


I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago, and I've been dying to try it. Four ingredients huh? Okay, here goes.........................

Best Biscuits Ever

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter

Cut sour cream into Bisquick with a pastry fork.


Add 7-Up, and continue mixing.
This makes a very soft dough.


Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on counter and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9-inch square pan.  Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.D*E*L*I*S*H!!!!

Shutterfly Long Live Summer Facebook Contest

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I've posted about my family's RV trip - you know, the one they're taking without me?  I sent the wee ones with their digital cameras, and they tell me that they're taking a ton of really great pictures.  And so am I.  I had a blast capturing Mister Man walking in his first Fourth of July Parade.  Little Miss is memorialized climbing super high the tree growing in our front yard.  They're both captured splashing around and having a blast with friends in the pool.

I'm horrible at actually printing out my photos and putting them in albums.  Forget having done it in the past year, I not only haven't done it since before the wee ones were born, I haven't done it since before my husband and I were married.  Fortunately, we can share our photos in other ways now - and I do.

Shutterfly is running a contest now through August 12 where you can win all sorts of prizes from the grand prize of a trip for four to the Bahamas with a professional photo shoot to weekly prizes.  You even get an instant win prize just for submitting your photo.

Each week has a different theme.  Just upload your favorite photo that fits the theme and caption.  The themes?
Week 1: Americana (7/9)
Week 2: Great Outdoors (7/16)
Week 3: Water Fun (7/23)
Week 4: Sports & Activities (7/30)
Week 5: Parties & Celebrations (8/6)

You can enter once per week, and each week five photos will be featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly, in addition to the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.

So what do you say?  Long live summer!



Don't forget to take a look at the official rules of Shutterfly's Long Live Summer contest.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free photobook from Shutterfly in exchange for posting about this contest.  I was not compensated, and all opinions remain my own.

School Supply Donation: #BagItForward with Elmer's and #CBias

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I love doing nice things for people, especially when it's easy (hey, don't we all like things that are easy?) and when they don't cost too much money.  The #BagItForward campaign sponsored by Elmer's combines not only that but the opportunity to get the wee ones involved.

I realized only now that I haven't (yet) blogged about the end of the school year for Mister Man.  After many of the challenges he faced at his school, we chose to pull him from the Catholic school and enroll him at the public school Little Miss attends.  There were many reasons for that - and trust me, I'll post about them at some point - but we were a little nervous about what his experience would be like.

Before the end of the first day, we were fully relieved.  Mrs. J, his new teacher, was so welcoming of Mister Man, and she sent me two unsolicited emails during the day to reassure me on well he was adjusting and how happy she was to have him as a part of her class.  The rest of the year was better than we ever could have imagined, and my husband and I are kicking ourselves for not having moved Mister Man earlier.

We are so grateful for all she did to help Mister Man - and we jumped on the chance for supporting our teachers.  When we started, Mrs. J refused to let us provide any school supplies; she would give him what was needed.  This school provides all the supplies the students need after parents pay a flat fee at the beginning of the year, but by the end, many of the supplies are low or running out.  How fun for us to be able to give "extras" of quality school supplies (because why give something that won't be useful?) that she can dip into over the next school year?

Even better, school supplies are on sale right now during back to school season, making this the perfect time to collect our donation for Mrs. J.  I put Mister Man in charge of what was needed, and we headed to WalMart to purchase items to Bag It Forward for Mrs. J.


When I told Mister Man he was in charge of the shopping list and what we were planning to do for Mrs. J, he was over the moon.  It was amazing to me to watch him get so excited about the ability to help someone else.  We've done charitable work in the past, but it never fails to surprise me how much the wee ones love doing it.  Mister Man carefully wrote out a list of the items that Mrs. J most frequently used and that were running low by the end of the year.  It was too cute how he told me that Mrs. J only uses glue sticks because they are less messy but also that they have to be Elmer's to ensure that they work the best.


In the store was no different.  Mister Man carefully selected the best items that he thought Mrs. J would appreciate.  Wherever he could, he calculated how many items he would need to ensure that every student would be able to have one.  I thought it was neat that we could use this as a math lesson for Mister Man to figure out which options were the cheapest (do we buy a 6 pack of Elmer's glue for $1.97 or the 2 pack for $0.50?) and how many we could afford to purchase.  He carefully noted the prices of each item and how much we were spending ($1.94 on two packs of markers) on his shopping list and then crossed off each item as it went into the cart.


Once home, Mister Man wrote Mrs. J a note to share what we was doing and how grateful he that he had her as a teacher at the end of the year.


It wasn't expensive to purchase a ton of quality school supplies for her classroom.  For 3 packs of pencils, 13 2-packs of glue, 1 package of erasers, 2 packs of dry erase markers, 3 packs of crayons, 2 packs of markers, and 4 pairs of scissors, we spent just over $20.  How easy is that?  I can only imagine the smile on Mrs. J's face when we present her with all the supplies.

Because this is a gift, we decided to make it look nice.  I found a pretty basket with my supplies in the basement, and Mister Man set to work to make everything fit nicely in there.  I let him run the show and arrange it how he wanted.  It makes me giggle sometimes to see how much my son he is.  He had to take each item from the bag and lay it in order on the floor before putting them neatly into the basket.


I was a little concerned that Mister Man would simply toss the school supplies willy nilly into the basket to be done with it.  I should have known better.  Instead, he worked the basket like a puzzle to ensure that every back to school item we had purchased would fit nicely into the basket.


Once he finished, Mister Man just had the biggest grin on his face.  He loved that he was able to make a difference so easily.  And that's the point.  It really is easy.  How many teachers and students do you know who would appreciate a donation of quality school supplies?  Something always runs out or is forgotten.  And with back to school sales on right now, it's the perfect time to add a little something extra when you go shopping for your school supplies.


And what better was to get ready for the first day of school?  Oh, wait.  There's another way to get ready for that momentous occasion.  Elmer's has created the 1st Day app (and website) that is designed for parents and teachers to capture and share the milestones and other "firsts" for their children.  Unlike programs such as Instagram, it's focused just on parents and the photos are shared much more narrowly. You can create custom keepsakes with quotes or captions to help you remember why those moments were so special, too.

My favorite part, however?  For every photo uploaded via the 1st Day app, Elmer's will donate a product to the Kids In Need Foundation, up to 200,000 products.  What a neat way to capture those memories and for teachers to be able to share with parents what they're doing in the classroom to journal the year!


In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Collective Bias(tm) Social Fabric(r) Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias(tm) and Elmer's, and all opinions remain my own.  #CBias #SocialFabric #BagItForward

Fun With HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE - Summer Never Ends

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The wee ones asked me this morning if summer was over.  It's the first time it's been under 70 degrees since the start of school, and it's a grey, dreary morning.  We carefully checked the calendar and decided that no, summer wasn't quite over yet - even though it felt like it this morning.  And, I promised them, there are some things about summer that we'll keep alive so there's a part of summer always in our hearts.

Their eyes brightened at this notion, and they immediately asked what we'd do.  Put on the spot, there were only a few things I could come up with in the heat of the moment.  We'll still do lots of playdates, I promised.  That's something we frequently do in the summer, but once school hits, we get too busy to think about it.  And, I smiled broadly, we will still make S'mores every once in awhile.

At that, the mood brightened and lifted, and I was off the hook.  It will never cease to amaze me how simply mentioning s'mores or setting a few ingredients on the kitchen table induces such excitement not just in the wee ones but in everyone who sees or hears about them.


We've been having "HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRES" this summer, and it's been a blast.  The lure of making s'mores is a draw for just about anyone I know.  And they come running.  Even at BlogHer this year, the Hershey's S'mores Suite was one of the places to be.  I know I enjoyed my visit(s) - and my s'mores.


Back home, we've had just as much fun.  We invited friends over to chill with us in the evenings after we've left the pool so exhausted we can hardly move.  There's just that last bit of energy we need to expel before we all head to our own homes, and Camp Bondfire was born.  It rotates from house to house sometimes, depending on whose house is clean enough to host others.  The first words out of the mouths of every one of my friends is "Oh please excuse the mess.  My house is a disaster right now" - regardless of how spotless it is.  It's become a running joke.




I remember the days as a Girl Scout sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows for our s'mores and telling stories, bonding with the others there.  It's the same idea today.  Sitting around and chatting - you can't do much else when eating a s'more - is a great bonding experience for the kids and adults.  I'm so proud of the wee ones that they're starting to learn to toast their own marshmallows.  We've lost a few soldiers to the fire along the way, but there always seems to be just one more in the marshmallow bag when we need one.

And once the marshmallow is done to the perfect level - perfectly evenly golden brown on all sides and gooey for me, burned to a crisp for my husband and Mister Man - we sit back and enjoy with family and friends.  When the wee ones were on their RV trip with my husband and parents, the nightly s'mores were a favorite treat, too.

While the kids are usually the ones who ask for seconds, the adults rarely turn down the offer of a freshly toasted s'more.  The gooey marshmallow melting the creamy milk chocolate with a crunchy graham cracker to hold it all together is something that appeals to everyone.  Even when Mister Man had his sensory issues and couldn't eat many foods because of the textures, s'mores was always a winner in his book.  It was our little therapy to give him something with so many different and gooey textures.  At least that was our justification, because who just makes one s'more?  We always had to make enough for ourselves, too, because... yum.

Because no one can resist HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE.  And really, who wants to?  Especially when you have the opportunity to enjoy a "double s'more."  Lucky boy, right?


How do you celebrate your own Camp Bondfire?

In the interest of full disclosure, I received supplies to host my HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE gathering to share with my friends.  I was also compensated as part of this campaign.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Dominick's International: Tomato Soup

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If you know anything about me - anything at all! - you'll know that I love to cook and bake.  The more I can do at home, controlling what I put into my dishes and what my family eats, the happier we all are.  When given the opportunity to participate in a culinary challenge with Dominick's, highlighting some of the new international foods they are now carrying, I jumped all over it.

I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers as I read what my two mystery ingredients would be.  I got Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil and Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes.  To say I was happy that I got ingredients that go together is putting it mildly.  But... they almost go too well together.  I use tomatoes and olive oil constantly.

I thought and thought and tried to come up with something creative.  Something unique.  And then I remembered that when we went to Medieval Times, Mister Man enjoyed tomato soup for the first time in his life.  Bingo - I need to foster that enjoyment of tomatoes in a healthy and yummy form.

So I decided to make a simple tomato soup that really features the Dell' Alpe tomatoes.  And it was awesome.  Serve it up with a little bread, and everyone was thrilled.


Tomato Soup featuring Dell' Alpe evoo and Dell' Alpe pear tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 white onion
2 T Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 T flour
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable to make it vegan)
1 28 ounce can Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 T sugar*
salt and pepper to taste
10-15 fresh basil leaves

*Depending on your tomatoes and tomato paste, you may need to adjust this a little to get to the taste you want, usually just a little more sugar.

Directions:
Preheat a large pot.  Chop your onion while it's heating.  Once it's fully heated, add the olive oil, then add the onion.  Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned.


As the onion is cooking, prepare your garlic.  To help keep it from burning, you don't want to cut it up.  Instead, smash it with the flat of your knife.  Once you smash it hard, you can just pluck the peel off, easy peasy.  Add the garlic to the onion once the onion is pretty much done.  You just want the garlic to get fragrant.  Go ahead and add the flour, stirring to ensure that it is evenly coating the onions and garlic, and let it cook for two minutes.

Add the chicken stock and canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic mixture.  Make sure you're using good tomatoes, like the Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes, because they will be the focus of your soup.


How do you know you have good tomatoes?  Seriously, take a look at how gorgeous these tomatoes are!



Add the tomato paste and sugar, as well as 1 t of salt and maybe 1/2 t of pepper.  Turn the heat down so that it is just simmering.  You don't want this to boil.  Cover your pot and cook it for 30-40 minutes at a simmer so that everything starts to break down.

After that 30-40 minutes, puree your soup.  If you have an immersion blender, you're set.  If not, buy one but use your regular blender in the interim.  If blending in a blender, blend in batches and don't fill the container more than one-third full.  Use a kitchen towel and hold the top on, as blending hot liquids will create pressure that could force the top off.  Keeping it fairly empty and holding the top on helps a ton.  Or ... that immersion blender means you can do it all at once and in the same pot so no extra dishes.  Puree it completely.


Serve it immediately.  Chiffonade the basil and use it as a garnish or add some shredded Parmesan for an extra flavor boost.  The wee ones weren't interested in these accouterments, but I'd definitely go for them.  This will keep in the fridge for a few days, and it tastes better the second day once all the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Interested in making this Dell' Alpe highlighted soup?  Or exploring other international options Dominick's now carries?  I have a $50 Dominick's gift card to give away.

This one?  Super easy to enter.  You must tweet what your favorite international ingredient or dish is, using @Dominicks and @honestandtruly in the tweet along with the hashtag #DominicksIntl.  The only caveat is that you can't use the Twitter handles or hashtag as the first word in your tweet (e.g., "@honestandtruly @Dominick's I love..." doesn't work; "Hey @honestandtruly and @Dominicks" does work).

Tweet by Sunday October 7 at 7pm Central, and I'll choose a winner from eligible entries at that time.  You do need to be a US resident and 18 years of age or older.  Only one tweet per person is eligible.  You will need to provide me with your contact information within 24 hours so that you can be sent the gift card if you are chosen by random.org or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a gift card to purchase ingredients for my dish.  I was not provided with any additional compensation.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus Chicago Ticket Giveaway

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It's not even Halloween, and already a friend of mine asked if I am working with Feld Entertainment on promoting the annual Chicago visit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus to both Allstate Arena and the United Center. The good news?  Yes, I am.  And yes, she has already bought her circus tickets with the discount I have to share.


This year's big top features the show Dragons, one I know Mister Man will be excited to see.  The show celebrates the Year of the Dragon, and brings together mystic dragon lore and authentic circus feats.  The show will once again start at Allstate Arena before moving to the United Center.  One new thing this year?  The Allstate Arena joins the United Center in offering free parking in the official lots, making this year even more of a treat than ever.

The shows at Allstate Arena run:
Thursday November 1 at 7pm - $12 tickets for opening night!
Friday November 2 at 10:30am and 7pm
Saturdays November 3 and 10 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 4 and 11 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Wednesday through Friday November 7-9 at 7pm

The shows at the United Center are:
Wednesday November 14 at 7pm - $12 opening night tickets
Thursday and Friday November 15 and 16 at 10:30am and 7pm
Friday November 23 and Saturdays November 17 and 24 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 18 and 25 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Tuesday November 20 at 7pm
Wednesday November 21 at 2pm and 7pm

The show is fun for all ages, with a free all-access preshow for 90 minutes before the start of the performance.  All ticket holders are invited to the arena floor for the Power Party where you can meet your favorite performers and animals.

Tickets range from $13 to $90 for the Circus Celebrity tickets (where you and your family are actually a part of the circus and which sell out quickly!), but I have a 40% discount code for weekday shows and 20% off all weekend shows.  Simply enter the promo code MOM when you order your tickets. (Fine print: Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee, not including holidays such as the day after Thanksgiving. Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.)


So are you ready to head off to the big top?  I have a family pack of tickets to give away for your choice of shows: at Allstate Arena on Thursday, November 1 at 7pm or Friday, November 2 at 10:30am or at United Center on Wednesday November 14 at 7pm.  First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday October 25 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - what is your favorite circus act?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is coming to Chicago.  Win tickets via @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/W7STUf #ChiRingling" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Feld Family Ambassador.  As such, I am receiving complimentary tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus as part of my outreach.  I am not otherwise compensated.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Free health screenings at Sam's Club

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Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women.

In support of Women’s Health Month, Sam’s Club will host free women’s health screenings on Saturday, October 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at all locations with a pharmacy to Club members and non members. During the screenings, Sam’s Club will give away more than 25,000 breast self-exam kits to help women better detect changes in breast tissue, such as a lump, that might require a follow-up exam by a physician.

The screening program will provide free in-Club tests for both women and men, including:
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screenings to test for potential women’s health issues related to thyroid functionality
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings to test for signs of prostate cancer in men
· Blood pressure
· Body mass index (BMI)
Total cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
Glucose
Vision testing/screenings

Nearly 17,000 women were screened during last year’s women’s health screenings. Since then, Sam’s Club has provided a total of more than a million free health and vision screenings to the communities we serve.



Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. All information on this post was provided by Sam's Club.

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Celebrate Halloween with See's Candies {Giveaway}

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Halloween is almost here, and it's all about the candy!  With all the chocolates coming my way to tempt me, I have to be really picky.  I'm not wasting my calories on inferior chocolate, I want the good stuff!  That's why See's Candies are perfect for October -- their fall and Halloween chocolates and confections not only look good, they taste good. I've been a big See's Candies fan ever since I was a little girl and my relatives used to bring home cans of See's Toffee-ettes every time they traveled to the US.  I was hooked!  See's Candies are great any time of the year -- you'll never catch me saying no to a See's Walnut Square or a See's Toffee-ette! -- but their fall and Halloween gift packs are so adorable and whimsical, they are the perfect way to celebrate the season. They have chocolate ghosts, chocolate jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin truffles, pumpkin lollypops, orange creams, and other seasonal goodies.  They even offer their regular chocolates packaged in Halloween and fall-themed boxes!

See's Candies sent me a few of their Halloween and fall items to check out -- and boy have I been enjoying the product testing!  My family is falling all over themselves to help me, because we all love See's smooth, creamy chocolate and yummy fillings.  Here's what they sent me:

Fall Harvest Box
 The Fall Harvest Box is a sweet little way to celebrate fall.  I can't believe you get all this candy -- 3 Molasses Chips, 6 Milk Chocolate Foil Balls, a Scotchmallow, a Dark Chocolate Chip Truffle, a Milk Chocolate Butter and a Butterscotch Square -- for just $6.65!  It makes a great little thank-you present for teachers or PTA volunteers, or an afterdinner treat for your book club.  See's also has a Trick-or-Treat Box which has the same chocolates on the inside, but with a Halloween-themed box cover, so you can hand them out as party favors or prizes for your next Halloween party!



Petite Boo Box

The Petite Boo Box is just the right size for an afternoon treat with a friend!  You get 6 See's chocolates in a cute circular box printed with an owl.  It's perfect to give out as a grownup Halloween party favor, or lay on a pillow for your Halloween houseguest, or to pack into a Boo Bag to leave on your neighbor's front porch!


Halloween Treat Box

The Halloween Treat Box is the grand poobah of Halloween presents!  You get all your favorite See's Halloween treats, presented in a gorgeous Halloween-themed box, wrapped up with a ribbon and gift tag.  There are more than enough goodies to keep you stocked up throughout the month:

A bag of Halloween Milk Chocolate Foil Balls
A bag of Orange Twists (they are melt-in-your mouth candies, like buttermints, but orange-flavored)
A Marshmallow Jack O' Lantern
A Foil Ghost
A Trick-or-Treat Box
A Haunted House Box (containing an assortment of Sugar Sticks, Lollypops, Halloween Milk Chocolate Foil Balls, and a Foil Ghost)

Everything is individually wrapped, so you can give some of the candy away -- but why would you want to??  With yumminess like this, I won't need to raid my kids' trick-or-treat loot bags to get my chocolate fix this Halloween!  Check out the full Halloween and fall collection at See's Candies online.


Win a $25 See's gift card
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a $25 See's Candies gift certificate

Required entry

Check out the Halloween and fall collection at See's Candies online, then leave a comment on this post and tell me which of their goodies you would most like to enjoy this October.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1)  Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on your Pinterest board (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the See's Candies Halloween giveaway!

6) Like See's Candies on Facebook and write this on their wall (1 entry):

I entered to win a $25 See's Candies gift certificate on Bonggamom Finds!  Giveaway ends Oct. 25 at http://bit.ly/UBxJA0
7) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once a day (1 entry per day):
RT @bonggafinds Enter to win a $25 See's Candies gift certificate!  Giveaway ends 10/25 at http://bit.ly/UBxJA0 #giveaways #Halloween
The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on October 25, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on October 26 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US  residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. 






Disclosure:I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. he views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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