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While working on my Lovable Labels review and giveaway, I noticed their BlogHer '10 Contest! I’m choosing to write about the Girls City Getaway option. That’s right, I’m now going to tell you about a very special woman in my life who I think could really use a weekend getaway! You know who that would be? My mother.
Yes, I know. You were expecting my bff or maybe another blogger. I know that I don’t always get along with my mom. However, she works really hard and probably needs to get away. I say this for many reasons. For starters, I’m not the easiest person to deal with on a day-to-day basis. I wake up in a bad mood and am easily annoyed. However, my mom still loves me. She has also never regretted taking a trip or getting away with me. Every once a while she actually brings up a trip from the past and we look back on it fondly. I think a weekend in NYC with my mother would be great! My mother is from New Jersey and I know she gets tired of being in what she calls a “rinky-dinky” town. This would be our chance to get out of this place and see new things.
Besides putting up with me, my mom also tries to take care of my disabled father and her widowed mother. My father has been disabled for years and I won’t go into the details of all of his health issues on here because he wouldn’t appreciate that. Suffice it to say that my mom tries to do a lot for him. My grandmother had breast cancer last year and my mother has since had to start doing more for her. My grandma is actually in the hospital right now (although it’s not cancer related, she just has some infection in her knee) and I know that everything stresses my mom out.
On top of all of that, my mother works a full-time job for minimum wage. She lost her job 1.5 years ago in the auto industry and has been working in fast food for over a year now. I worked with her a for a week last summer and hated it! I quit after working just 4 days. It was horrible. I must say I did gain some respect for her after that. Not only does she work really hard, but without this contest, we don’t have a chance of going anywhere or taking a vacation because we could not afford it. This is our only hope of getting away. This is also my only chance of getting to BlogHer’10 (unless anyone wants to buy and give me a ticket and sponsor me or something).
Winning this awesome contest would be a wonderful surprise for my mother and a great treat for me! Please send us to BlogHer!
Disclaimer: I wrote this post for Lovable Labels BlogHer Contest. No compensation/product was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
The winner of the Kerasal Giveaway is comment…
# 87
Congratulations! The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond! Thank you to everyone who entered! Be sure to enter the other contests on Laughing Lindsay!
I recently tried Stacy’s Snacks pita chips and can honestly say that they are delicious! I received some samples to try with my family and we all liked them. There is such a variety that there is something for everyone! They are also not as bad for you as other snacks! Score! My favorite is the Sea Salt pita chips! They are tasty and simple! It is similar to a regular potato chip, but better! It’s crunchier and tastes better! I really like them!
Starting today, you can enter Stacy's Art of Summer Sweepstakes for a chance to win a basket of a one-year’s supply of Stacy's Snacks! Also, the grand prize basket may include other wonderful prizes, such as a camcorder and serving ware! It sounds like it’ll be the perfect summer picnic basket! It has an ARV of $769.48! I think that a basket full of their products would be a good enough prize for me, but this prize sounds like it’s a lot more than that!
Now, for the details on entering the sweepstakes! Simply go to the Stacy's Pita Chips Facebook Page, between now and June 23, and share your favorite summer Stacy’s snack! It can be a picture or written! There is a limit of one entry per person per day! That means you can enter multiple times! Check it out and win some today!
Disclaimer: I received samples of Stacy’s Snacks for posting this. I am also being entered into a contest with the One2One Network for posting this. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
I did not want my readers to think that I had forgotten them on my lovely trip. I mean without you guys, I would not have been able to go! So, I made a return trip to get donuts at the Krispy Kreme in Pigeon Forge, TN. Here are the wonderful and friendly people who work at the Krispy Kreme in Pigeon Forge! 
If you are in the area, I would recommend you stop by and at least speak to them! They are super friendly! They serve donuts with a smile! It was so nice to meet and talk to all of you! : ) I’m sure that by now you are ready to see what I got while there…
My boyfriend and I got a dozen donuts and 2 sweet teas! I got mostly donuts with some sort of chocolate on them! I also got to try some of their new mini donuts (which by the way are just a smaller super-delicious version of their donuts)! Here is a better picture of the yummy donuts!
I got these at the end of our trip and brought some home to share with my mom and dad. I want to remind you that this was hours later and my dad still thought that they tasted fresh and good! Hehe! My mom didn’t feel like eating any when I first brought them home and my dad informed her that she was “ignorant”. Haha! : )
These donuts are unlike any others. No one else can compete with these donuts. They were super yummy! This box didn’t last 24 hours! My favorite was probably the Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled! It was goood! My boyfriend really liked the Chocolate Iced Custard Filled. My dad especially enjoyed the Original Glazed Donut and Chocolate Iced Glazed!
I also want to point out how good the sweet tea from Krispy Kreme is. Hours later the tea was still good and cool! I was surprised! I honestly believe the Krispy Kreme in Pigeon Forge has the best donuts and the greatest employees! Everything was great!
Did you notice that in the middle picture of my “goodies” from Krispy Kreme that there is a giftcard? That’s because Krispy Kreme has also provided me with a $25 gift card to give to one of my very lucky readers! Yay! See, I didn’t forget about you!
WIN!
Krispy Kreme has generously given me a $25 giftcard to give to one lucky Laughing Lindsay reader!
To enter: Go to Krispy Kreme and tell me which donut you would most like to try or which one is your favorite.
(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 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 July 4th 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 some donuts for free for this review. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
In my third and last post on the Titanic Pigeon Forge, I am going to cover the more interactive and hands-on side of the museum experience. This museum is not just for adults that are fans of the Titanic, it is for everyone! When you enter the museum, you become a passenger on the ship! Everyone is given a boarding pass with the information of a real passenger from the Titanic! I was Susan Cook and my boyfriend was Father Browne! My passenger has a tooth in the museum because I had a toothache and had to have the tooth extracted after I got to New York! 
My boyfriend was someone really cool that I will cover in a moment!
Beside the TOT Titanic you can send an SOS signal! You can also sit in a half-size lifeboat and listen to survivor’s stories! You can even try your hand at tying knots! Another children’s favorite is trying to climb the inclined decks! There is three different inclines that children (and adults) can try to climb up and stand on! My boyfriend actually tried to climb up all three! The third one was especially hard! Also, you can have your picture taken at this point in the museum! Then, they place the Grand Staircase and Captain’s Wheel behind you! You can pick up these pictures in the gift shop and even upload them to your Facebook! 
That water is 28 degrees! It’s really cold!
This keeps children engaged throughout the museum! Oh, and there is also a 6 minute (or so) video a little over half-way through the museum with seats so you can sit down if you are tired or need to rest.
In this second post on the Titanic Pigeon Forge I want to share with you some awesome things that are in the museum. The museum features over 400 artifacts in 30,000 square feet! I want to make sure, however, that you know that these artifacts are NOT ones that have been brought up from wreckage site. 
All of the artifacts have either been brought off of the ship by survivors or were retrieved during rescue efforts at sea. This is why the museum is affiliated with the Titanic Historical Society. 
Another awesome sight in the museum includes a third class cabin that is recreated to size and style! Although, passengers were not given sheets or pillow cases (they did receive blankets and pillows). The hallways there are also to size! It’s worth noting that even though these cabins had 4 beds, there was often more than 4 people in the room! I was told on my tour that it was common to find people sleeping on the floor! I was also sort of surprised to find out that there was only 2 bath tubs for third class passengers on the ship (one for women and one for men). Down from this cabin is something I think is kind of creepy. There is a gated area that has lights flickering and is flooding with water! The water is held back with glass. However, it lets you understand what it was like to be a third class passenger when the ship began to take on water and sink! 
I was told that in today’s money, a first class passenger would have paid $22,000! The first-class suites were bigger because often times they brought their help with them on the ship. This suite is similar to the one seen in James Cameron’s Titanic film (where that famous drawing scene with Leonard DiCaprio/Jack and Kate Winslet/Rose takes place). 
I don’t know about my readers, but I have a hard time finding clothing that fits me right and looks good. I have recently gained a lot of weight and find myself having a hard time finding pretty plus size clothing. Then, I discovered Alight! Alight carries clothing for women in sizes 14-30! 
That means great clothes for plus size women!
I like Alight clothes because they actually carry some tops that are more conservative and classroom-friendly (I’m an education major), like the one to the right. I like how it’s layered and it’s a nice shade of blue (I love blue).
Alight also carries some more trendy, going out clothing (I’m still a college student, not a teacher). I thought this pink halter-style shirt was cute. It’s young and cool for summer date nights (or something like that) without being 
too skimpy. I don’t think you would expose too much skin in this.
This is why I’m happy to announce that Laughing Lindsay is going to be hosting a giveaway for a random Alight shirt for the next three months! Yep, that means you get 3 chances to win a cute plus size top! This is the first of the three! I’m also going to be receiving a top myself, so I’ll be posting a review of it when I get it.
WIN!
Alight is offering one lucky reader a plus size top (of Alight’s choosing).
To enter: Go to Alight and sign up for their email list. Then, come back here and tell me the email you used to sign up.
This entry is mandatory, if you do not do it, 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. Tweet about the contest and @alightcom in it (post link in comment).
3. Blog about the contest (post link in comment).
4. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).
5. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).
6. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).
7. Enter another one of my contests (Come back and tell me which one. You can get only one extra entry, no matter how many different giveaways you enter.)
8. Follow Alight on Twitter (let me know your handle in the comment).
9. Like Alight on Facebook (and let me know it in a comment).
Giveaway ends on July 9th 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 will be receiving a top for free to review. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
The main reason for my trip last week to Pigeon Forge/Sevierville was to see the Titanic museum! I’m going to do a series of posts on it. This is the first of three scheduled posts about it and I wanted to use it to introduce readers to the museum and its owners/creators.
The owners are John Joslyn and his wife, Mary Kellogg. John’s background is in television. John pioneered many television specials, including “The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults” (1986) and “Return to the Titanic… LIVE” (1987). The “Return to the Titanic… LIVE” was the first effort to bring up Titanic artifacts and restore them. John has since made many return trips to the wreckage site.
Mary worked as Executive Vice President Television for the Walt Disney Company for 20 years. She worked with the show “Live with Regis and (Kathie Lee) Kelly” for 20 years and was its executive-in-charge! She also helped with the creation and development of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”! She is very knowledgeable about production, marketing, and sales! I actually met Mary on my visit. She is a very energetic and nice lady! It’s no wonder she is involved with so many things and gets so much done!
The Titanic museum is a half-scale museum with over 400 artifacts! 
John and Mary make the Titanic museum an educational and historical experience that pays tribute to the ship and its passengers and crew. Its a celebration of the ship, its passengers and its crew. In case you didn’t know, the Titanic is a ship that sank while on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was the largest moving man-made object when it sank! I’ve been a fan for years and am very excited about these posts and my visit!
John says it best when he says, “It’s a complete experience that honors and respects the ship and its passengers by keeping their stories alive.”
Disclaimer: I received free passes to the museum for review purposes. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
The winner of the Room It Up $30 gift certificate giveaway is comment…
#65
Congratulations! You have been emailed and have 48 hours to reply and confirm! Thank you to everyone who entered!
