"...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
I have made the decision to learn to shoot. My husband grew up in a family where everyone learned and I didn't. For the most part, I've avoided learning anything about guns. When I was a child, a very close family friend accidentally shot and killed his wife while cleaning one of his guns, so that likely instilled the aversion in me. I've been to a shooting range once or twice, to shoot under the supervision of my husband, just for the experience, but I doubt that would have been enough for me in the event I actually needed to use a gun. So, for a number of reasons, I've decided to learn more about guns and shooting.
Today, my husband took me to an indoor range to shoot a revolver. I've never held a revolver, but he patiently showed me how to hold it, how to aim it, and how to shoot it. If you've never shot a gun before, it's really kind of intimidating to hold that much power in your hands. I was kind of nervous. I held it with one hand to shoot a few times, to see how it felt. I also tried shooting with a second hand to help steady the gun a bit more. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it seems to be a gun I'll be able to handle. The target I'm holding is a combination of my shots and my husband's shots. I've also learned the mechanics of how the gun works as well as how to clean, everything coupled by lots of safety lessons. I think at this point, at least I know I can defend myself more knowledgeably than I could have yesterday. Hopefully I will never have to do it.
Welcome to the On the Road Again giveaway event coordinated by Tales From the Nursery and Views From the ‘Ville. This event starts at 12:01am est on July 28th and will end at 11:59pm est on August 11th. Each blog is offering a fun travel or vacation related prize valued at $25 or more! Family road trips are often taken during the summer and there’s still some time left before school starts again to hit the road one more time!
Planet Weidknecht is offering a $50 Gift Certificate to Xperience Days the leading provider of unique gift experiences. From flight lessons to wine tasting classes, from private sailing charters to trapeze lessons, from Farmer's Market tours to NASCAR driver experiences, you're sure to find something wonderful and memorable for yourself or someone else. Get on the road again and try something new!
To enter to win, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and live in the US. Only the first entry is mandatory; bonus entries increase your chances of winning. Good luck!
This is not a Planet Weidknecht sponsored giveaway. I am posting in exchange for a spot on the Rafflecopter form.
Call me a sucker but I tear up at those commercials on TV that show the homeless and abandoned pets, who deserve so much better than what they have. I have always tried to give back by volunteering when I can. Kitty Mattrazz set up a great page for all of us to help Project 121 through the Arizona Humane Society. If you haven't met Kitty, she is an 11 year old artist with a heart bigger than most determined to make a difference!
Kitty Mattrazz and Coupons and Friends have brought together many Bloggers and Sponsors that have something in common. The love of animals, to bring you this Wonderful opportunity to win and perhaps give back to charity as well!
Special Thanks to Amber of Thrifty Mom's Review's and More for our Event Image
Help Kitty Reach her goal of only $200 to donate, if you only have $1 to spare it will make a difference. DONATE HERE.
We have found many Sponsors willing to support such a great cause and bring you some wonderful prizes to win!!
Daris Howard is a wonderful author who I have been working with over the past several months. I am enjoying his books throughly and writing reviews on them. You will have a chance to win Super Cowboy Rides and one of his Life's outtakes books which are full of fun short stories!
Our fabulous sponsor from Original Sock Dogs will be giving one lucky winner a pack of these super cute Smiling Bullies Cards. Awww. If you think these are adorable then you just have to check out their sock dogs! I am in love. Yes, they are really made out of socks! You can also find their great creations on Etsy.
Silver Paw Tags has graced us with one of these heavy duty stainless steel pet tags for a lucky winner. These are beautiful and will hold up to anything you throw at them! I love the little paws:)
If you have not checked out Artsydog yet then it is a must see!! I absolutely adore the unique products they sell, they simply have something for every dog owner and every dog! These are on-of a kind products handcrafted by artists all over the world. One winner will walk away with a $30 gift certificate to ArtsyDog....Lucky dog.
Do your dogs get excited about Christmas? Well they should and I bet they would if you won this Dog Treat Advent Calendar being sponsored by Felterrific Felterrific is your destination for all crafties of felt! She even takes custom orders and has her own Etsy shop. I never knew you could make so many cute things from felt.
DistinctlyIvy makes these gorgeous Mommy and Children hand stamped name necklace with Pearl and sells them at her Etsy shop. She has offered one of our readers the chance to win one personalized just for them!
Felissa the creator of Two Little Cavaliers has graciously donated 3 of these adorable keychains to our giveaway. I love Two Little Cavaliers as they always have the latest dog related news articles and new recipes for your dogs too and don't forget giveaways!!
Christi Smith an Independent Consultant of Scentsy is offering one of our readers one of these great warmers with 2 of their favorite scents! Check out how much I love mine HERE.
Dog Tag Art is donating 3 of these tags to winners. They have so many to choose from. My Boy Ares received one and well, he'll do anything for a treat. The personalization there's a story behind that you'll just have to read the review to learn more about!! These are awesome tags and it took me forever to choose which one I wanted there were so many fun tags!
Carolyn From Conversations With Carolyn a blogger who loves to blog about health, recipes, reviews and her love of God, has given us a Pearl Mountain Batch Image Converter registration code for one lucky winner! This is a great product, I have it myself. Check out what I think of it.
The trendsetters over at 26 Bars and a Band are going to set one of our readers up with one of their brand new Avante Garde retractable leashes! These are hot!
$10 Gift Certificate to Dog Collar Boutique. Check out my review HERE.
Reading is fun. Storytelling with props is an experience that takes reading to a whole new level. When children can interact with a story, they better remember the story and can retell it more easily. Their language skills, memory skills and social skills develop in new ways as they explore storytelling through these beautifully crafted Steve Light Storyboxes from Guidecraft.
There are four delightful fairy tales and folktales from around the world, that provide children opportunities to play with the hand-painted resin characters and props of the stories of Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The Girl Who Loved Danger, and Little One Inch. My classroom received The Girl Who Loved Danger storybox and the children all clamored around me to open the beautiful wooden box.
The lid slides open to reveal a storycard, a beautifully designed monster puppet and figures of the many characters in this African folktale. The story tells of a little girl who doesn't listen to her parents very well and gets into trouble because of it. That sounds like something children can easily understand, doesn't it?
As I read the story aloud, my oldest (who is four) helped me tell the story to the other children by taking out the pieces and characters as they became part of the story. The uniqueness of each prop helped to draw the children into the story more and they carefully examined every piece, noting the differences between them.
As the story progresses, the little girl finds herself and her parents inside the belly of the monster. Feeling very sad that she didn't listen to her parents, she must think of a way out. At this point I stopped reading and asked the children how they would solve the problem. They had some very interesting suggestions, including the solution that the little girl had!
The children had so much fun retelling the story over and over to each other. Created for ages four and up, these storyboxes are perfect for classrooms. As a teacher, I love that these storyboxes bring diversity into my class and provide the children with more ways to interact with stories that improve their decision-making and comprehension. They also make beautiful and unique gifts for children!
Purchase these and other wonderful educational toys at http://guidecraft.com and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. You can read more Guidecraft Educators' reviews of the Steve Light Storyboxes and enter to win one at Pre-K Pages blog.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Jerome Abecassis, CEO of Divano Designs, and Brigitte Beltran, a Feng Shui Expert, believe that interior design is not simply a set of arbitrary ideas, an eclectic assortment of favorite objects or a mimicking of current trends. Good design has a clear vocabulary; it is grounded in logic, aesthetic, and the work of well-trained architects, artists, builders and designers. In every project they undertake, their design philosophy works to blend four basic elements of design: contrast, proportion, color and balance.To avoid design disasters when designing your interiors, follow these simple tips:
1. Avoid overlooking room size:
Nothing appears to be far more out of position than household furniture previously bought for a small room installed in a fantastic family room. The furnishings that labored as part of your old home or condo could purely end up being out of scale for the spaces inside your new property, so bite the bullet and replace those items with furniture that makes sense.
2. Wanting to match the modern trends:
Be careful to not produce a decorating template around the most current movements and fashions. Take the time to determine your personal style. Ways to explore this would be to research interior design publications, browse through home interior showrooms or look at online resources to determine which colors and styles you most favor.
3. Enabling someone else to make selections for you:
Your home is your personal sanctuary. Don’t allow someone else to tell you where something MUST be placed. If you want support, ask for recommendations. However, when the moment arrives to generate selections, they must be your own. It is your home and you should be comfortable with the options.
4. Avoid color mix up:
Never buy material, flooring or paint on your original visit at a store. Compare samples of paint and floor coverings to help you see how they look in your home under day and night lights with lighting fixtures.
5. Running a project without a budget and a plan:
Survey your existing household furniture, establish a budget upfront and the time you will set aside for your project. Make a summary of your requirements and start working.
More About Divano Designs: Jerome Abecassis, CEO and Founder of Divano Designs, was heavily influenced by his mother, a famous designer and architect in France. Born in Paris, Jerome has become a well-known entity in the industry. With years spent traveling back and forth from Paris to Miami, Abecassis was able to thrive in his various business endeavors, overseeing logistics and operations for real estate, development, and investments. Divano Designs aims to bring a modern, contemporary European flair to the local Miami market. Divano has recently opened a showroom in the Midtown / Design District area, hoping to expand their clientele in order to establish the brand in the U.S. More about Brigitte Beltran: Professional Interior Designer and certified Feng Shui practitioner, founder of FS2D Design Group, Inc. Her consulting firm is located in Miami, Florida. For more information, please visit www.fs2ddesigngroup.com
This Giveaway is to celebrate Saved By Grace's Move to the new domain and for reaching the 2,000 mark of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter!
There will only be ONE winner for this awesome prize pack worth over $700!
This event is Hosted by Saved By Grace and co-hosted by The Kids are Grown, Now what?, Parsimonious Pash and Deanna's Bargains and also brought to you by over 20 participating Blogs!
The HUGE prize package includes stuff for around the home, for all the members of it. This giveaway will run from July 25th at 12:01 am through Aug 1st. Planet Weidknecht is not hosting this giveaway. In exchange for a spot on the contest form, we are promoting this giveaway.
PRIZE INCLUDES:
A Bio Ionics Professional Hairdryer (the Powerlight) worth $220
A rug of the winner's choice worth up to $149 from MoHawk Homes
The Nutrition Pro Digital Scale from EatSmart Products worth $89.99
a $50 Gift Code to 1-800-Lighting
Eithech America Solar Construction set worth $49.95
Pearl Mountain Image Converter Software worth $29.99
Green Cleaning set from Dragonfly Organix worth $25
MP3 Player sponsored by ParsimoniousPash.com worth $20
PhotoTrax (in clor Balck) sponsored by jennyatdapperhouse.com
Ceramic Go Green Apple Baker from Emerson Creek Pottery worth $14
A $50 Giftcard to Walmart!
To have a chance to win this amazing prize pack, Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below! Please note, ALL entries will be verified. Make sure to read the Terms and Conditions of entering that can be found at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget, which may take a few moments to load. GOOD LUCK!
Dictionary.com has evolved into a comprehensive online and mobile word learning destination that offers immediate, free help to students and caters to their personal learning goals. This highly portable, adaptive and customizable site provides proven study and test methods across platforms, as well as interactive study tools that support curriculums from elementary through graduate school, offering a free, easy way to enrich the educational experience. Products include, but are not limited to:
Word Dynamo: gives students and teachers alike a blended online learning technology fueled by gaming and social features that bridges classroom and outside learning. By combining the ease and energy of gaming with our expertise in language and learning, along with some diagnostic technology, Dictionary.com has created a product that enables students to grow their command of language at their own pace, complete homework faster, and improve test scores along with overall academic performance. Teachers can also use Word Dynamo to augment in-class lessons and as resources for homework assignments and study tools.
Writing Dynamo: a writing analyzer that offers an easy way for people to dramatically improve writing in 30 seconds, for flawless professional or educational written works. Students can get better grades on papers, conquer essay questions on standardized tests, and differentiate themselves throughout the increasingly competitive college application process; writers and other professionals can quickly and thoroughly review and fine-tune editorial copy for polished final drafts; and job applicants can produce impeccable resumes and cover letters, setting themselves apart in a tough market.
Spanish: this dynamic product has been designed to accommodate all levels of users, from the novice to the advanced student, and offers exciting features such as Spanish Word of the Day and Situation of the Week. This cutting edge product can help users with everything from learning pronunciation to boosting conversational Spanish.
Translator: Users across the globe can quickly translate any page or word into over 50 languages, and are provided with a full text translator of over 2000 characters.
New Sprouts Fix It! Tool Set - Amanda Whitley
Dana Classic Fragrances - Two Winners - Micheal Dale Grim, Teresa Thompson
$20 Gift Certificate to Liane Fried Studio - Thuy Vu
Scandle Eco-Shave and Shower Foam - Jennifer Miller
Beyond Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett - Tegan Love
Tantex Leather Conditioner - Rick Weitzel
Love Your Breed FouFou Dog Prize Pack - Priscilla Villarreal-Benavides
Makobi Scribe is bringing you this Amazon Twitter blast.
The winner will receive an Amazon gift card. The giveaway is open WW.
Planet Weidknecht is participating and sharing this giveaway
in exchange for a spot on the contest form.
Javascript must be enabled to enter this giveaway. Learn how to activate Javascript by clicking here.
Hop on over to your local IHOP and try out their new Signature Pancakes! They have three new delicious selections so I went to try them for you! The waitress was rather surprised that I ordered three plates of pancakes, especially when my husband and daughter both ordered their own meals. I told her I was reviewing them all and the lady at the next table said she wants my job!
The Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana is described as "wholesome and lightly sweet" and is part of their Simple and Fit under 600 calories menu. I'm guessing that is before I drenched it in delicious strawberry syrup. I wasn't too sure about whole wheat pancakes, but they are just as fluffy as their buttermilk pancakes. The only difference I tasted was that they are a bit drier, but still delicious.
I didn't want to eat the entire plateful since I still had to taste two others, so I set it aside and grabbed the next plate. The Sweet Strawberry Pancakes are buttermilk pancakes with strawberry glaze and whipped topping. The menu shows it with a cream cheese icing, but I guess the cook forgot that step.
It tasted great and I ate all the berries and whipped cream. I didn't add any additional syrup onto these but if I were going to eat the whole plate, I probably would. I've always loved the buttermilk pancakes at IHOP and there is always a variety of syrups on the table.
I saved the Red Velvet Pancakes for last because I knew they'd be best. I was not disappointed. It's like having dessert for breakfast. It is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, the best pancake meal I've ever had in my entire life. They are fluffy, rich and chocolaty, topped with cream cheese icing, powdered sugar and whipped topping.
As you can see, I was almost able to eat the entire plate even after sampling the other two pancake flavors. It was kind of funny because our church sermon that morning was on gluttony and our pastor encouraged us to have an indulgent meal, then begin a seven day fast of one thing we really enjoy. I left a bit on my plate so I didn't feel like such a glutton. I guess I'll give up pancakes for the week!
It was so much fun to design my own hummingbird feeder on Perky Pet. Their new Design-A-Feeder makes it so easy to create lots of different styles. It's right on their website and with just a few clicks of the mouse, I can make changes to the base color, the flower color and even the bottle size and shape.
I ended up playing with the online Design-A-Feeder for about an hour before deciding which one I wanted to get. I chose a pink base with the mauve (dark pink) primrose flower. My favorite bottle design is the one with the hummingbirds etched on the side.
My first package arrived with one of the little pink flower vines broken. I contacted Perky Pet and their customer service was so helpful. They shipped me a brand new one right away. I was impressed with how polite and responsive they were regarding the issue. Good customer service goes a long way!
I really like the top-fill on this hummingbird feeder because it's very simple to fill and the lid screws on and off easily. Since it's made of all plastic, it'll hold up really well to the outdoor elements too. I really love the color combination I chose and I was so excited to hang it on the deck.
I had a bit of an issue hanging it because the hanger that is attached to the lid is kind of narrow and I wasn't quite sure how I would hang it. I finally threaded a rubber band through the top notch and was able to easily hang it over the hook on my deck. A wire hook would probably work just as easily.
The Design-A-Feeder is a great idea and I think it's a great way to get children involved in the creative process. These are very reasonably priced and my hummingbird feeder looks pretty hanging on my deck. Go check out www.perkypet.com and have fun creating your feeder! You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter too.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
