11/8/13

Planes Overhead - Photojournal

Not sure why all these planes are flying over my house
today, but it sure made for an interesting afternoon!









My Children's Books are On Sale Now!


"Raindrop Dream" is a story that teaches perseverance and determination. Readers will also learn concepts about weather, seasons, and the water cycle. Most importantly, children will be inspired to dream big and follow their dreams.
Regular Price $16.99
Sale Price $11.99
Click HERE to order now!


"E is for Emotions" will help your young child learn to recognize the multitude of feelings he or she experiences. Through the use of rhymes, one for each letter of the alphabet, this book helps to develop children's social and emotional skills. The story is told from a child's point of view and an example is given for each emotion. Sure to be a favorite alphabet book!
Regular Price $21.99
Sale Price $12.99
Click HERE to order now!

Thinking of Buying a Home?

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When purchasing a new home, you will have several types of loans to select from. Each type of loan has pros and cons. Before agreeing to a loan, learn about the different home loan types.

If you are a first time buyer, chances are you will need a first mortgage loan. With this type of loan, you will need to undergo a credit check. The home will also need to be appraised. In some states, the home may also need to be inspected. With a first mortgage, varying maturities are in place. For most home buyers, a 30 year maturity will be recommended. However, if you can get a 15 year maturity, interest paid is significantly less. A down payment may also be required. After making a significant amount of payments,you may decide to take out a second mortgage. When taking out a second mortgage, you can use the funds for what ever you see fit. However, you will have a second mortgage to pay each month. Be warned, most lenders will not allow you to take out more than 80 percent of the appraisal value of your home.

After owning your home for a period of time, you may notice that improvements need to be made. If this is the case, a home improvement loan can be considered. Unlike a mortgage, the maturity length is much shorter. Monthly payments are also larger with this type of loan.

Win $100 Amazon or Paypal - Siding With Plato Book Blast

 
Siding with Plato: A Romantic Comedy Chick Lit About College Life, Love, and Chaos
Siding With Plato is a romantic laugh-out-loud chick lit novel about Being Young, Beautiful, and a Seriously Hot Mess! Brooke Aarons can't get to college fast enough. Leaving behind her small town life, she intends to transform herself into a brilliant psychologist at the University of Texas, with no distractions to slow her down. But when a twist in her plans lands her on double date with the school's star jock - and worse, enjoying it - Brooke has to wonder if she's the one who needs her head examined. James Cartwright's easy life, endless bucks, and long line of willing girls should make him a non-starter for Brooke, but as she learns, the psychology behind a bad crush is a whole lot messier of a subject.  
ENTER TO WIN BELOW!

11/7/13

THOR: The Dark World starts this Friday!


Like THOR on Facebook: Facebook.com/Thor

Follow THOR on Twitter: Twitter.com/ThorMovies

Visit the website: www.marvel.com/thor

35 Recipes for Thanksgiving Side Dishes

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Win $50 Amazon or Paypal - Fighting for the Edge Book Blast

Fighting for the Edge
Two friends. Two dreams. One night that changes everything… Ice dancer Aubrey London scoffs at romance. She’s focused on winning a medal at the upcoming Olympics and uses that as her excuse to avoid serious relationships. But when she and longtime friend Chris Grayden are thrown together by unforeseen circumstances, Aubrey finds herself questioning everything she's ever known about love, complicating her life both on and off the ice. Pairs skater Emily Petrov embraces romance. She and her husband Sergei still act like honeymooners two years after their wedding. As Emily’s coach, Sergei provides constant support while she prepares to challenge for gold at the Olympics. But Sergei’s support might not be enough to help Emily overcome the one challenge she never saw coming. With the Games only weeks away, Emily and Aubrey are on the verge of realizing their dreams. But one snowy, stormy night sets in motion a series of events that will test them in ways they never imagined, giving them more to fight for than Olympic medals.  
Amazon * Barnes n Noble

ENTER TO WIN BELOW!

11/6/13

How to Save Money on Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner can get expensive very quickly. Here are some great tips to help you save some money this year on your Thanksgiving dinner, decor, and fashions.
  1. Watch local grocery store ads. They will sometimes offer the turkey at a great deal when you purchase a minimum dollar amount of food.
  2. If you're having a big gathering, have each guest bring a side dish or dessert item. After all, you're saving them the trouble of roasting a turkey for hours.
  3. Purchase your Thanksgiving wine in a box rather than bottles. The savings can be significant and some of the best wines I've tasted come in boxes. If you prefer a bottle, pour the boxed wine into a clear pitcher for serving and add some citrus slices for decoration.
  4. Check your newspaper inserts for grocery coupons. Find out which stores in your area will double or triple your coupons. Try to stack coupons with sale items to save even more.
  5. Use natural items found in nature to create table centerpieces, like pine cones, evergreen branches, gourds, cranberries, and freshly fallen leaves.
  6. Make place cards for guests from index cards (or heavy stock paper) and markers in brown, orange, and yellow. 
  7. Save on your Thanksgiving fashions by wearing nice clothing you already own or by using online shopping coupon codes, like those at Jabong Coupons, to buy at a discount.
  8. Bake your pies from scratch instead of buying store-made. With all the available recipes online these days, even a novice baker can achieve a great pie.
  9. Make napkins rings by cutting toilet paper tubes into 3 parts and painting them with gold colored spray paint.
  10. Save on energy costs by cooking your turkey in a slow-cooker crock pot. You can find my Super Easy Crock Pot Turkey recipe at the Recipe Tab above.
Remember that Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a time of stress. It should be a time when family gathers together to be thankful for each other and all the wonderful things in our lives. The amount of money you spend on your dinner should not be a source of anxiety. Happy Thanksgiving!

Win a "Teach My" Child Learning Kit - Great Gifts Giveaway Hop

Christmas is just around the corner and it's time to start finding the right gifts for the ones you love. The Great Gifts Giveaway Hop is hosted by Planet Weidknecht and LeahSay's Views. From November 7-17, you can visit all the participating blogs listed below and enter to win great gifts for everyone!
One lucky Planet Weidknecht reader will get to choose
one of the three "Teach My" learning kits:
Teach My Baby
Teach My Toddler
Teach My Preschooler

Read my review HERE!
Now enter below to win!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the USA. Only the first entry is mandatory but bonus entries will increase your chances to win. Giveaway ends at midnight on 11/17/2013.
Don't forget to visit the other blogs below to enter more giveaways!

Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit - Review

Disclosure: I received products at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Statistics show that for every $1.00 spent on educating preschoolers, our country saves $7.00 later by not needing to spend it on counseling, juvenile detention, rehabilitation and even prison. With that in mind, early education is one of the best returns-on-investment that exists. The "Teach My" products offer parents all the tools necessary for fun and interactive education for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to prepare them for school and beyond.
I received the Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit for review. Since I have a strong background in early education, it was easy for me to see the benefits of these materials. The entire kit comes in its own storage box that clips closed to keep everything together. Inside the box there are four individual activity bags that also close securely.
The four activity bags each meet a different educational area for children, including Numbers to 100, Math (addition and subtraction), Printing and Reading. The Teach My Preschooler Kit also comes with a teaching guide full of ideas for using the materials with children. When it's time to "play school" with your child, everything you need is right there.
 
The Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit comes with 10 Reader books, 60 Flashcards, a Flashcard Reward Tin, a Flashcard Holder, a Magic Drawing Board, 78 Print Transparencies, a Printing Guide, 101 Train Flashcards, 3 Posters, 2 Flip-Books, Foam Numbers, Foam Counters and Foam Equation Signs.
 
None of the activities require a tv, a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. It does require gentle parental guidance, personal time with the child, and a desire to bond with your child to help them learn. It is a wonderful foundation for teaching the most essential skills children require to be successful learners.
 
The Teach My Preschooler kit is designed for ages 3-5 years. There is also a Teach My Toddler Learning Kit and a Teach My Baby Learning Kit, both designed for age-appropriate educational opportunities between parent and child. Just 20 minutes a day can make a huge impact on a child's readiness for school.
 
The "Teach My" products are a wonderful line of quality learning materials and I recommend them! This entire kit costs just $39.99 but your child will benefit for years to come. These award-winning learning kits would make great gift ideas for the holiday. Consider purchasing kits for your children, your grandchildren, and especially to bless a child through a toy donation project.
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on Pinterest ~~~ on Google+ ~~~ on YouTube

19 Free Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

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Wednesday Wealth Giveaway Link Up Now Open

Thanks for stopping by!
Link up your giveaways below
and enter to win some wealth!



Epson Expression Premium XP-610 Small-in-One - Review

Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
For years I have wanted a printer that prints high-quality photos. Many of the others claim to, but the Epson Expression Premium XP-610 Small-in-One printer is the ONLY one I have found that prints pictures that are as amazing as a photo printing service. It also takes less than a minute to print a beautiful photo and I have no more long waits for photo-drying!
It has several paper trays inside, so I can keep different sizes of paper and different types of printer and photo paper in it all the time. The Epson XP-610 is very compact so it takes up very little room and since everything slides inside, all the paper and trays stay dust-free.
It has a 3.5" LCD touch panel for navigating through all of its features. It is also adjustable, so I just flip it up when I need to use it and flip it back down to keep dust out of the interior. It took just minutes to get the driver downloads online and set everything up.
The Epson XP-610 is a wireless printer and connects to our home network, so everyone in the family can all use it. Plus we can also print via the Epson Connect feature from an iPad, iPhone, smartphone or tablet. It even offers remote printing from anywhere in the world. How amazing is that?
It features a scanner for saving digital copies of documents and old photos that I want to save forever, plus there is also a tray where I can load in and print from a CD. There is also a built-in SD card slot so I don't have to load my photos onto my computer before printing.  
Here are four photos I printed from my new Epson XP-610. I choose what I thought were challenging photos to print, with lots of color and contrast. They printed beautifully in true colors, with no smears and no smudges. I am beyond impressed and give this printer five stars!
Learn more about the Epson XP-610 
and purchase one HERE

Fotostrap the Camera Strap that Gives Back - Review

Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Last year for my birthday, my husband bought me a new camera. It came with a camera strap that I simply hated and I've been searching for a new one since the day I ended up with blisters on my neck from it. I finally found the perfect camera strap at Fotostrap!
This style is called the Bayleigh, named in honor of an inspiring teenager who has battled an inoperative brain tumor for seven years. Fotostrap donates 10% of every purchase to Fotolanthropy, a non profit that captures and shares inspiring true stories. When you purchase the Bayleigh Fotostrap, the 10% will be designated for the making of the film about Bayleigh.
This Fotostrap is made of chambray jean material and genuine leather. The strap is so soft and flexible that I can comfortably wear it for an all-day photo shoot. The Fotostrap is the highest quality camera strap I have ever seen. The leather straps that attach to the camera feature brass buckles, so I can easily adjust the length of my camera depending on how I'm wearing it (around my neck, on my shoulder, or crossbody).
The ergonomic shoulder pad has non-slip padding on the back and Fotostrap will even monogram the shoulder pad with your name. I absolutely LOVE my new Fotostrap! At last count, they had 18 stylish designs to choose from, including leather straps and fabric straps in a variety of colors. This would be the perfect holiday gift because it is practical, beautiful, and gives back to others!
Visit www.fotostrap.com and choose the one that suits your personality. You can also follow them on FacebookTwitter, and Pinterest. Don't forget to check out Fotolanthropy for heart-warming stories!

Bil-Jac Grain Free Dog Food - Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
My dog's vet is always harping at me to help my dog lose weight. Buddy is almost 11 years old, so he's slowed down quite a bit and mostly sleeps all day. It is important at any age for a dog to get the correct amount of a high quality food and lots of exercise to keep them healthy and happy. Bil-Jac Grain Free Dog Food with fresh chicken as the number one ingredient. In fact, the first four ingredients are chicken, pea Starch, menhaden fish meal, and dried beet pulp. Three pounds of chicken go into each 4 pound bag! It is 100% complete and balanced nutrition for your dog.
Buddy absolutely loves the slow-cooked Bil-Jac Grain Free Dog Food. I love knowing I'm giving him great nutrition that has no wheat, no soy, no corn, no filler, no gluten, and no sprayed-on rendered fat. By giving him a limited ingredient diet and walking him daily, I'm helping him to become healthier, which means he will be a part of our family longer.
Visit www.bil-jac.com to see their entire line of pet foods and treats. Their site also hosts a Breed Library with over 320 breeds featured. You can also join the Best Friends Club for coupons, tips, and new product information. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter, then enter below to win a 4 pound bag of Bil-Jac Grain Free Dog Food for your pooch!
Win a 4 pound bag of Bil-Jac Grain Free Dog Food!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the US. Giveaway ends on 11/20/2013. Good luck!