1 Year Blog Anniversary and H&M Giveaway

 

It’s hard to believe that my first blog entry was a year ago today!  It was very short and to the point.  My 2nd post didn’t come until almost a month later and was only one sentence long!  I didn’t know anything about hyperlinking or HTML coding.  I didn’t know how to find products to review or giveaway.  I also didn’t know the difference between Wordpress and Blogger!  Haha!  I actually started with Blogspot because that’s what I noticed everyone else was using and just figured that they knew what was best.  lol  It’s hard to believe that I’ve learned so much and done so much in just one year.  Thank you to everyone who has helped me this past year!  I appreciate everything everyone has done. 

In just a year, this blog has gotten over 500 Google Friend Connect followers.  I remember starting out and thinking that I would never get 100 followers.  I didn’t believe that anyone would actually want to subscribe/follow my blog and read what I had to say.  I also never dreamed that I would get over 900 followers on Twitter!  Wow!  I’m still amazed! 

Without my readers, none of this would have been possible.  I want to thank you wonderful people by having a giveaway where I’m actually giving away some prizes that I already have and that isn’t sponsored by anyone.  I received a $25 H&M gift card sometime ago.  However, there’s not one near me and you can’t order online (for some unknown reason).  I also have 2 $25 gift cards for Safeway grocery stores!  There’s also not a Safeway store near me.  So…

WIN!

I’m giving:

one reader a $25 H&M gift card and

2 readers a $25 Safeway gift card

I’ve noticed that one of the biggest complaints on sweeps forums about blog giveaways is all of the extra entries.  So, I’m going to try something different with this giveaway since I don’t have to have a high turn out of entries for a sponsor.

To enter:  Tell me which of the gift cards you would like to win.

That’s it!  No extra entries, but you can follow me on Twitter or the blog to catch more giveaways!  : )  You can also like Laughing Lindsay on Facebook for updates!

Giveaway closes July 7th at 11:59 PM EST.
Good luck!

*Since I am shipping the cards, this giveaway is open only to US residents.

Disclaimer:  I received nothing for posting this giveaway.  This is in celebration of my 1 year blogging anniversary. 

The Knight Life Giveaway Winners

The lucky winners of the Knight Life Giveaway are comments...

#9
#18

Congratulations! The winners have been contacted and have 48 hours to respond. Thanks to everyone who entered! Look out for a special giveaway later today!

Busy Bees at Work and Play Book Review

I recently received a copy of Busy Bees at Work and Play by M. Maitland DeLand to review.  Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I agreed to review a children’s book.  Well, for starters it just looked so cute!  Secondly, I just had a Literature for Children and Young Adults class this spring and have since gained a greater appreciation for this literature.   This book helps a little one understand why grown ups have to work by showing various members of the community.  It portrays these members of the community doing their job and them in their free time.

Busy Bees at Work and Play has very good illustrations, something that is crucial for a good children’s book.  I thought it was cute how throughout the book there was little things that would only make sense if a character was a bee (for instance, a boat is named the “Bee Line”).  The illustrator incorporates hexagonal shapes and honey combs when possible.  I also liked that the pictures were interactive with readers.  While the young bee first encounters every adult while they are working, there are clues in the background that allow children to figure out what that bee does at the end of the day.  I do think that it’s interesting that the bees “wear” shirts but not pants.  Haha! 

I also appreciated how the main bee’s mother is a teacher!  I guess that goes to show that teachers are typically good parents.  ; ) 

Anyways, this is a very cute book for children.  I enjoyed it and so did my boyfriend.  Haha!  You can find it on Amazon.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Busy Bees at Work and Play for review purposes.  No compensation was received.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Auntie Anne's Pretzel Kit Giveaway Winner

The lucky winner of the Auntie Anne's Pretzel Kit Giveaway is comment...

#150

Congratulations! The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond. Thank you to everyone who responded!

Giveaways Reminder

Since I have a couple of giveaways ending soon, I wanted to post a reminder of them so that you don’t miss any good ones!

Win an Auntie Anne's Pretzel Kit – ends tonight at 11:59 PM EST!

Enter the Knight Life Giveaway which ends tomorrow and has very few comments!

The Lovable Labels Giveaway ends June 28th.

The newest, Kroger $30 gift card giveaway ends June 30th.

Win a Krispy Kreme Doughnut Gift card in the giveaway that ends July 4th.

The first Alight Plus Size Top Giveaway ends July 9th.

SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp Review

I recently got to try some SeaPak popcorn shrimp for review.  My dad is a big seafood fan and I am pretty picky about what seafood I will eat.  We decided to try the popcorn shrimp because that is something that is seafood that I will usually eat.  One night my mom fixed it for us for dinner. 

I found the popcorn shrimp to be tasty and delicious.  I thought it had a nice texture to it.  Here is a more close-up picture of the popcorn shrimp.Doesn’t it look pretty good?  I thought the popcorn shrimp was good.  It didn’t smell real “fishy” if you know what I mean.  It smelled fresh and yummy.  My dad liked it as well.  This is something that is truly easy to fix (we just baked it in the oven) and it pleases the whole family.  I think we will probably be eating this again.  SeaPak provides families with an easy way to eat something that is part of a healthy diet if eaten twice per week.  That’s right, fish can be good for you.  My dad actually wishes I would eat fish more often.  This is a great way to do that. 

SeaPak is a crowd pleaser.  My mom likes it because it is so quick and easy (a requirement for food in our house).  My dad likes it because it’s fish.  I like it because it tastes good. 

Disclaimer:  I received a coupon for a free SeaPak product for review purposes.  No compensation was received.  The opinions expressed are my own. 

Kroger Pound for Pound Giveaway

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I am able to do another giveaway for Kroger!  This time it’s for their Pound for Pound Challenge!  They are urging people to be healthier by pledging to lose weight!  For every pound you pledge to lose thru June 30th, 14 cents will be donated to Feeding America!  This means that you can help people that are local by giving local food banks food! 

They are doing this because they are a sponsor for the show “the Biggest Loser”.  By shopping at Kroger, you can buy the brands and products you see featured on the hit tv series and shed the weight, too!  To correspond with the Challenge and to help someone out, MyBlogSpark is allowing me to host another wonderful giveaway for a Kroger giftcard!

Just so you know, The Kroger Family of Stores includes Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillon's, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy.   Hopefully, you have one of those great stores near you and could use a gift card! 

WIN! THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!

MyBlogSpark and Kroger Stores are giving one lucky reader a $30 gift card! 

To enter:   Tell me something you would buy with the gift card. 

(Make sure your email address is in the comment or is easily accessible via your blog profile or blog itself. I need to be able to contact you!)
This entry is mandatory, if you do not do #1, you cannot do the "extra" entries. Comments like "enter me" will not be eligible!

Extra Entries
For each extra entry please post an additional comment!

1.  Follow Laughing Lindsay on Twitter (let me know your handle in a comment).

2. Tell others about this giveaway (Tweet, Digg, Stumble, email, forum, meme, blog it). You get one extra entry for each thing done.

3. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).

4. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).

5. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).

6. Comment on a non-giveaway post. (Come back and tell me which one.)

Giveaway ends on June 30th at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the winning email, I'll pick another.
GOOD LUCK!

*Open to US residents only

Disclaimer: I received a gift card for free for this post. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Sarah McLachlan: Laws of Illusion CD Review

Thanks to the One2One Network, I received a copy of Sarah McLachlan’s newest cd, Laws of Illusion to review which just came out on June 15th!  I was excited to receive this cd because this is her first studio album in 7 years and because EVERY ONE of Sarah’s albums has been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA!  Not to mention, before the release of this cd, she had made 20 million career sales!  As you can see, Sarah is well-established for good music.

Laws of Illusion, to me, has the same feeling of Sarah’s usual music.  It’s a nice cd that I might listen to on a Saturday morning.  Sarah has a beautiful voice and it really comes through on this album.  Her first single for this album, "Loving You is Easy", is up-beat and happy.  It’s one of my favorite songs from the album and it’s also already a Top Ten hit on Adult Alternative radio.  I also really like “Changes” and “Awakenings”. 

This is a some-what relaxing cd that I could listen to while working on some homework or a blog post (like I am doing now).  I could also see myself cleaning the house or doing some errands on a Saturday with this on.  I don’t know if I would actually just sit down and listen to it, but it’s nice to have on while doing other things.

You can check out Sarah's Facebook Page for updates on her work or follow Sarah on Twitter!  You can also check out Sarah for yourself at one of the many stops on the Lilith Fair Tour!  Lilith Fair was founded my McLachlan and is an all women touring festival! 

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of Laws of Illusion for review purposes.  No compensation was received.  I am also receiving a contest entry for posting this review.  The opinions expressed are my own. 

Delta Faucet Review – 1st Vlog

When I was offered the chance to receive a Delta Faucet to review, I was really excited.  In my household, money is always tight.  We hardly ever replace stuff unless it’s broke.  The kitchen faucet in our house was 10 years old or more!  No one remembers exactly how old it was, but we know it was there a long time.  I mean I don’t remember it being changed out!  Here is our old kitchen faucet.  As you can tell, we like simple styled things.  My dad also likes the two handles.  Because of all of this, my parents decided that we should get the Orleans Two Handled Kitchen Faucet with Sprayer.  We also liked that it came with a sprayer.  My mom liked this one because of its tall/high arc.  The old one would get in the way if you had a tall stack of dishes or had a big pot or something.  She was really excited to get this one! 

For various reasons, we hired our usual hometown handy man to install our new faucet.  He had some trouble getting the old one out, I think it was sort of stuck.  However, he had no trouble installing the new one.  Here is a picture of our new faucet!  Isn’t it a beauty?  We really like it!  My mom’s only complaint is that it’s a little slow to turn off.  It’s not a nuisance or anything, just noticeable.  This is why I decided to do my first video on this blog!  Yes, I hate my voice on recordings, but I thought it was worth it for my readers!  It’s a very short video, only 27 seconds!  In the video I turn it on, use the sprayer and turn it off!  If you have any interest in buying one, I recommend you watch it.

Delta Kitchen Faucet

While we had someone else install our faucet, there is short clip on YouTube that instructs you on how to install a kitchen faucet!  Also, you can find Delta Faucet on Twitter where they tweet the newest Delta faucet reviews and giveaways!  Delta Faucet is also on Facebook! 

Disclaimer:  I received a Delta Faucet free for review purposes.  No compensation was received.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Lovable Labels Review and Giveaway

When I received the chance to do a review for Lovable Labels I was pretty excited.  They wanted me to review their new camp pack labels which is meant for these summer months when children go off to summer camp.  It allows parents to label their children’s belongings with their name so they don’t get mixed up with other children’s stuff.  Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why a college student would be excited about something like that.  Well, I’m supposed to have a roomie  next year at college!  This means that there is the possibility of us getting our stuff mixed up.  With these cute labels, I shouldn’t have that problem.

I picked the Polka Dot stickers set because they are colorful and happy.  These camp packs come with a tons of labels!  You can label almost everything you own with this set!  It comes with 15 of these sticker labels!  I think they are adorable!  It also comes with 40 slimline sticker labels.  Here is a picture of the ones in my set!   You can label a lot with these!   Then, I also got 12 shoe labels!  Haha!  I never thought of labeling my shoes!  I guess, now I can!  I think they would go great with my rain boots!  I’m hoping that I don’t wear the same size in anything as my future roomie.  If we do, I will do def put these to use!  I might also need to use one of the many, many clothing dots I was sent.  I got 18 large, 18 medium, and 36 small clothing dots!  That means there’s a perfect size for every article of clothing!  Yay!   Here is a picture of the different clothing dots.  Aren’t they awesome?

In this pack, you also get 12 square labels which are perfect for things like books or other school-like things!  I will probably put one of these on my planner since it doesn’t have a place for my info.  I could also place it on my external hard-drive or things like that. 

Last, but not least, I also got 2 round metal tags!  I really like these!  They will be perfect for luggage or other bags!      The tags have the label on both sides of it!  That means you don’t have to turn it over to find out who it belongs to!  I think these are just great! 

Overall, Lovable Labels are terrific and I can’t wait to use mine.  If I take anymore trips this summer, I will be sure to use them.  These labels are of high quality.  They aren’t those flimsy little things that you might find elsewhere.  They are really nice and they have designs for everyone.  They have a pack for the sporty one, the girly one, the diva, the moving and grooving one, and even the outdoorsy one!  I’m not kidding, there is a pack for everyone!

WIN! THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!

Lovable Labels is offering one lucky reader a Camp Pack of Labels! 

To enter:  Check out the Lovable Labels Camp Packs and tell me what your favorite design  is.

(Make sure your email address is in the comment or is easily accessible via your blog profile or blog itself. I need to be able to contact you!)
This entry is mandatory, if you do not do #1, you cannot do the "extra" entries. Comments like "enter me" will not be eligible!

Extra Entries
For each extra entry please post an additional comment!

1.  Follow 89linz on Twitter (let me know your handle in a comment).

2. Tell others about this giveaway (Tweet, Digg, Stumble, email, forum, meme, blog it). You get one extra entry for each thing done.

3. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).

4. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).

5. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).

6. Comment on a non-giveaway post. (Come back and tell me which one.)

7.  Like the Lovable Labels Official Fan Page on Facebook and come back here and tell me.

9.  Follow MyLovableLabels on Twitter.

Giveaway ends on June 28 at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the winning email, I'll pick another.
GOOD LUCK!
*Open to US and Canada residents only

Disclaimer: I received a Camp Pack for free for this review. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.