Bloggy Giveaway winner!

Here are your random numbers:

16 

Timestamp: 2008-10-31 11:22:28 UTC

According to Random.org, the winner of the little blue pie bird is:

CrystalGB at Conversing With Crystal.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by! It was nice to "meet" you all!

Bloggy Giveaway

(Comments have been closed at this point. A winner has been chosen. But, feel free to look around!)

If this is your first time here, welcome to the Vikings' Hus!

I'm Beth and this is where I try to find some sanity (or show off our insanity) before the bloggy world. I'm a 40-year-old Christian SAHM trying out homeschooling for the first time with my 4 year old "Flicka" with my 2 year old "Pojke" tagging along.

I'm married to DaHubby (who is a proud Yooper) and we now live in SW Michigan. Prior to this family life, I lived all over SE Michigan and the Thumb area working in one of my three careers: video/TV production, law enforcement (don't ask! LOL), and teaching.

For now, we're all about homeschooling, frugal living, Dave Ramsey, church, and helping DaHubby through a full-time college program to start a new career while he continues to workhis current full-time job which supports this household.

With the introductions out of the way, let's get to the good stuff:

My giveaway is a small one. The last few years, I've been learning all sorts of new stuff about cooking. While I can now whip up several good-tastin' frugal meals, I've never really improved my baking skills much. LOL I just don't find it as rewarding plus we really don't need the extra sweets around here! *wink*

So, while I loved receiving this gift, I just haven't used it. But, for one of you who might be a proficient pie baker, it could be a wonderful thing. I'm giving away a brand-new, in-box pie bird.
For a history of a pie bird, check here. And, if you are interested in winning this cute little gadget, just leave your name and contact info in the comments. US addresses only please.

And, head back to Bloggy Giveaways for more free stuff!

Oh my good grief!!

Shannon, of Works For Me Wednesday fame, is having an AWESOME giveaway! The WOW CD people gave her TWENTY box sets containing the SEVENTEEN artists/groups who perfrom on their lastest CD.

Shannon's drawing Saturday so go NOW!

My five seconds of fame. LOL

Barbara at MommyLife.net is organizing a card shower for little Alex Barton, the kindergarten whose teacher had his classmates vote him out of his classroom due to his disruptive behavior which is attributed to his autism. She asked for her readers to submit ideas and drafts for a possible button for bloggers to use to spread the word.

I jumped at the chance and created a first draft and then, with Barbara's follow up suggestions, a second draft. However, Barbara went on to pick the one you see here. (congrats, Kari! LOL)

However, as I watched the CBS Early Show this morning, they interviewed Alex and his mom, Melissa Barton. And, when Harry Smith asked Mrs. Barton about the card shower, the Early Show cut away to show a graphic...

and it was MY first draft button! LOL

It was only there for a sec and it'll probably be changed for later broadcasts. But, for that few seconds, I was famous! LOL

Oh good grief!

How many things could I buy with this? Can't remember the last time I spent $100 at one store much less Target! LOL Oh, how the Vikings need summer sandals, Flicka need tennis shoes, Pojke doesn't even OWN a pair of shorts, and neither of my "wow your kids have big heads" children have summer hats that fit! Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please!!

Itsy Bitsy Contest Post

I'm intrigued by this book and thought I'd enter a giveaway so I can peruse it in my "free time."

I know some Christians have issues with yoga and the things it is traditionally associated with and based in. However, as I attempted in 1998 to self-manage my then-new ADD diagnosis since I was initially against taking medication for it, I have to say that effects of the type of yoga I took at a local recreation center were exactly what its advocates claim...calmness, focused-ness, less stress, more body awareness which assisted with some weight loss at the time.

I still love it but haven't done it in years. And, I wouldn't mind seeing what this book says about using it with little ones who are ALL ABOUT needing some more body awareness as their bodies grow and grow and grow! LOL

If interested, stop by Blogmommas.com and read more about Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Finally, a bloggy party (updated)

Välkommen to my bloggy Viking hus!! Have a seat, nibble on a piece of Swedish rye, take a bite of this delicious risgrynsgröt (rice pudding) and sip a mug of egg coffee.

My name is Beth and I am a recently-turned-40 (as in yesterday) year old SAHM to my two little pillagers, Flicka (Swedish for "little girl") and Pojke ("little boy"). My dotter will be 4 on Sunday and my boy is 2. DaHubby is a Yooper - someone from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - and a third generation Swede. And, I'm a "troll" - someone from "under the bridge" in the Lower Peninsula - having grown up in the Detroit area. (Update to add: we use pseudonyms around here for internet/family safety so as crazy as I've gotten with the Swede-theme...my kids names are not Flicka and Pojke! LOL Although, those "in the know" will tell you that there ARE definitely Swedish influenced!)

I am a secondary English teacher by training but haven't worked full time in 7 years as I spend these most important years at home with my babies. We're giving homeschooling a try for the first time this year at the preschool level.

Finally, I'm a Christian, a proud daughter of the King. I'm a denominational "mutt": raised Catholic, a campus ministry Lutheran, and now the wife of a son of a Pentecostal preacher! LOL But, building my relationship with the Lord and learning more about Him and how to be more like Him is my daily goal.

Tack så mycket for stopping by today. I'm so glad you took the time to visit here out of the 1200+ blogs to visit. Feel free to come back anytime for a visit...as long as you don't mind the mess! *wink* Since DaHubby's the coffee drinker, I may not always have hot coffee ready but there will at least be hot tea or sweet tea ready for any unexpected guests!

Gud välsigna dig! (God's blessings!) And, join the rest of the party here.

Three

That's the number of entries I'll receive by posting about this cool toy giveaway contest at FreeStuff4Kids.net. Two great prizes. Eight entries possible per person. One great site. Check it out.

ten-HUT!

Attention all you Slacking Sallys! It's time to get busy...busy exercising! LOL

Today is the first day of my 10-week exercise accountability challenge! This challenge is meant to encourage those who made exercise-related resolutions to be accountable.

And, it is also for those of us Weak Wendys who completely forgo exercise in the winter because it's too cold, too dark, too EVERYTHING and become big bowls of blubbery belly over the winter months! *wink*

In the interest of everyone feeling welcome and involved, there are no strict guidelines or hoops to jump through. The idea is simply to set a goal to accomplish between today and the first day of Spring in ten weeks. If possible, could you put it in terms of "number of minutes spent exercising"? And, here's why:

The only way I could figure out to compare my "apple" goal to someone else's "orange" goal (if ya' know what I mean) was to keep a running tab of how many minutes we all spent exercising each week!

So, after the first check-in next Friday, I'll create a new ticker to keep in the sidebar to show how much time we're spending on our goals. I can either ask you all for a total number of minutes you PLAN on exercising and then ticker the number we accomplish OR we can just go from zero and measure all the minutes we finish. It's up to you!

We'll meet back here each Friday for 10 Fridays to see how we're doing and to cheer each other on!

While I'm sure I don't have to say this, let us please keep in mind that all of us are at different levels of fitness and capability. ANY addition of time put towards exercising is an improvement. That goes towards are behavior toward each other - but, it also applies to our "self-voice". Don't feel self-conscious if your goal may not seem as "ambitious" as someone else's. Remember - ANY additional time is an improvement.

So, comment to this post with your goal for the next 10 weeks. In addition, comment on your preference on the ticker. Also, feel free to "steal" the button and post it at your bloggy home and encourage others to participate!

Blessings on everyone's goals!!

A New Year's Giveaway

If you are frequent-or (or even if you are not) of Laced With Grace, maybe stop by today and sign up for their giveaway. Looks like a good one!

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge: Book Three

In August, I joined reading challenge. Lesley is the host of the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge at A Life In Books. Following my original post, I've "been to" Persia/Iran and England. And, apparently, I am not the only one traveling all over the world - figuratively speaking of course! LOL When Lesley's original post reached 100 comments/reviews, she posted another! Wow!

And, now I've been to Mexico.

While my first two books were on my "Plan B" list, I did get to read one of my first choices! My mom sent me Nothing To Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone as a surprise. And, while I read it immediately, I haven't gotten around to posting the review until now...6 weeks later! So goes the life of a ADD mama with a nearly 2 year old and a nearly 4 year old! LOL

This book was interesting to me since, in pre-Vikings life, I had always figured I'd end up traveling alone. And, while I have no particular reason or explanation, I've always wanted to learn Spanish. Mary Morris now teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College. At one time (the book has a copyright date of 1988), she took an extended sabbatical to "escape" New York for a while and ended up in Mexico with some money and a typewriter.

I was looking to live vicariously through her submersion experience in a new and different culture. As someone who never felt like they "fit in," there was a time when I daydreamed of leaving everything and taking off like that. Free of past mistakes, of what was expected of me, of what few responsibilities I had acquired.

In this way, the book was a letdown.

I never "bought" that Morris was on an adventure - she was just running from something. It didn't seem like she interested in learning anything per se - just licking recent wounds and attempting some extended self-analysis. Even with a change of location, environment, and hemisphere, she seemed just as miserable as she must have been in New York. The people she met - stereotypical. A native. Fellow ex-pat writers. "Hippies" and those of alternative lifestyles. Young folks with backpacks on vacation. Even the eventual "boyfriend" she hooks up with turns into a college seminat about cross-cultural dating, Manifest Destiny, and colonization.

Even Morris' travels out of Mexico seem to be for no particular reason than to wander - but wandering without any of the "romantic," spontaneous overtones...like "let's take off and only make right turns and see where that takes us." LOL

There ARE new friendships, relationships, and location discoveries but everything just seemed so mopey. It was a struggle to finish but I'm glad I read it.

Wa-hoo!

What a nice surprise for a icky, sticky, we're-all-draggin-from-the-weekend Monday morning!

I just received an email from Shannon (of WFMW fame and a recent award). I won one of her giveaways at BloggyGiveaways.com

Soon, I will be the happy owner of either a CD or DVD version of Praise Baby's Christmas edition!

And, that will be the second Christmas gift for the Vikings! LOL

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge: Book One

Well, I joined the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge when the first book I had on hold at the library came in. It was "The Blood of Flowers" by Anita Amirrezvani.

The book takes place in 17th century Persia in the area of modern Iran. It tells the story of a young girl's coming-of-age and loss of innocence following her father's death. She and her mother, due to their Islamic culture which incidentally reminded me of Naomi and Ruth of the Old Testament, are basically left with no support, no immediate family, and only distant relatives in a busy city a long way away. However, the girl is extremely talented in the making of rugs. This skill gets them in to see the distant relatives but become basically slaves in that household due to their powerless stature. And, again due to their position, the girl is left with poor marriage options which leads her into an Islam tradition of a 3-month renewable marriage contract where she learns (in the more racy parts of the book) how to keep that husband happy so he'll continue to "keep"her.

The young girl (who is left nameless in the tradition of all but the most famous master craftspeople who make Persia rugs) is the narrator. Seeing Islam as a religion and as a social structure from the "inside" was intriguing to me since I grew up in an area of Michigan with the largest Arab population outside the Middle East. Seeing how they would have look at Christians- in particular the Scandinavian who comes to Persia looking for rugs - was also interesting. Even after the last page was turned, I was still left with the quandary of how can two religions be so similar in some ways and so diametrically different in others.

The book was an easy read even at 370+ pages and very character driven as it seems most "chick lit" is. I would definitely recommend it as an "escape" novel and/or a good weekend read.

To see more reviews of what everyone's reading for this challenge, go here.

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge

Well, I hesitantly am joining another reading challenge. But, this one caught my eye about two weeks ago due to its genre requirement. Lesley at A Life In Books said this challenge came as..."a yen to travel to distant lands, but lacking the resources to do so."

Basically, I figure I need to get out more. Need to get outta my head. Need to get outta my reading "rut". And, need to get away from the everyday "stuff".

So, I'm joining the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge.

Since lack of money is a hindrance to world travel, it is also a hindrance to buying new books. So, I scoured Amazon looking for things of interest. My "Plan A" list included these:

He Leadth Me by Charles Reynolds (Scotland/ Ireland)
The Last Lighthouse by Sharma Krauskopf (Scotland)
Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides by Adam Nicolson (Scotland)
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris (Latin America)
Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn (all over - journalistic coverage)
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gellman (Mexico)

Unfortunately, when I went to find these at my small local library, they didn't carry any of them. *sigh* Put a few on PaperbackSwap.com but it could be a wait.

So, Plan B? I start in the library's catalog FIRST and search it to see what they DID have. My "replacement" hitters for this challenge - which lasts 'til the end of the year, averaging one book per month - are the following:

The Blood of Flowers - by Anita Amirrezvani (Iran)
Austenland by Shannon Hale (England)

Gypsy in Me:, The: From Germany to Romania in Search of Youth, Truth, and Dad by Ted Simon (Eastern Europe)
Between East And West: Across the Borderlands of Europe by Anne Applebaum (Eastern Europe)
North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Asia)

And, the single remaining tribute to my Celtic heritage:
Rhanna by Marion Christine Fraser

If you are interested in joining, here are Lesley's guidelines:

• The challenge runs from July 1 through December 31 during which time you must read six books that fall under the ‘armchair traveling’ theme.
• Fiction or non-fiction works are fine, and do not need to be specifically travel related, as long as the location is integral to the book - I’ll leave that to your discretion. Locations must be actual places that you could visit, so no Middle Earths or galaxies far, far away.
• Books may be cross-posted to other challenges, but you cannot count any books read prior to July 1st.
• To join, make a post outlining your six choices and link to (original) post...Because I like to have a little wiggle room, you can opt to switch out books throughout the challenge.
• And yes, there will be prizes!

So, if you are feeling some wanderlust and want to join us, the ship's leavin'! *wink*

And God remembered (the Vikings)...

Genesis 8:1: ...and every living thing, and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Well, "subsided" would be an accurate word but it implies that the WATER did all the work! LOL So, three hours of scramlbing and wet-vac-ing abd now three fans blowing a minor hurricane through my basement and most things are back to normal.

Pojke was scheduled to go to DaGrandparents today - check

Flicka and I were to attend a MOMS Club function - nope!

Flicka and I were to go grocery shopping afterwards - nope!

Flicka and I were to go to the pizza party at the library at 2pm to celebrate finishing her first summer reading program...and I can't wake the poor thing up! Apparently, being awake and scared all night from thunderstorms and getting up at 6am was just too much for her. So, after four attempts to roust her off the couch, I'm gonna let the poor thing sleep.

DaHubby worked his tail off this morning, the three of us ate lunch, and then he returned to work around noon. So, I sit here in a quiet house...finally! And, I guess when Flicka wakes up, we'll go to the grocery store then.

Anyway, took a few minutes just now to post some odds and ends on Ebay. And, if anyone is interested, I will give free shipping to anyone who ends up winning the auctions for the bracelets my family and I made to sell at Relay For Life. Better pics are at the Ebay links below:

Here's the ones in adult sizes and here's the one for the kids' sizes. Just mention upon winning that you frequent my bloggy home and I'll take care of the rest.

Also, while I'm thinking baout it, a mea culpa and another reason I really dislike having ADD:

I just found today the email from my giveaway winner that indicate her choice of picture. *ugh* It's been sitting in my in-box for ELEVEN days! *sigh* Nice way to start a business. So, I'm off to bug DaHubby via IM to start figuring out how to get Diatribal her free picture. And, if she's reading this, again - I am SO sorry!

Da Hubby would never forgive me...(updated)

...if I didn't enter this contest.

Yea, yea, yea...I know. Another contest giveaway. Ya'd think I'd have learned by not winning a thing after spending an unmentionable amount of time on Shannon's mega-list of giveaways last week.

But, I could already "see" DaHubby droolin' over this one...

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV from Best Buy - DaHubby's 2nd favorite store after Lowes...both stores who by the way need to have a "widows' lounge" so that those of us who mistakenly stumble after our hubbies into these stores of manliness have some place to sit and wait for them! LOL

However, since there are over 600 entries at this point and since there's about 2 1/2 more weeks until the drawing, I'm not holding my breath. But, hey, free is free and SOMEBODY'S gotta win, right? Right? Right?

Update: OK, at least THIS part's for me. Just saw that Beth is giving away a Febreeze sample so go there too and sign up for this as well!

It's been nearly a month but...

...it's been one of those things I keep meaning to get to but haven't. I'm usually better about thank you notes and the like...I swear!

As part of the 5 Minutes For Mom Fourth of July giveaway, I was the winner of a nifty new t-shirt from "Living the Dream." I thought the shirts were funny and cute and a little sarcastic - which completely won me over! LOL

So, can I say...I LOVE the shirts! Yes, that's "shirts" as in multiple singles! LOL

Well, first, I had to pick out which of the six pictures on wanted. It was a toss-up: I *really* liked the laundry and mini-van ones. DaHubby thought I should get the referee one! LOL I ended up choosing the mini-van one.

Then, the choice of color. Being a bit of a tomboy, I asked them if the mini-van shirt was available in something other than shades of pink and pastels! They were awesome about my request and suggested one in coral. By the time I got a chance to email them back saying I'd take a blue one, they had already sent out the coral one.

But, the price was right so I didn't complain but then they sent me the blue shirt too!

How's THAT for customer service!?

Anyway, within a week, I was the happy owner of TWO Living The Dream shirts. And, can I say something else? I've worn them everywhere! I'm trying to drum up business for them wherever I go! LOL And, I normally do laundry on Mondays and Fridays and those two shirts are the first ones I grab on Tuesday and Saturday! (And, it's the one I'm wearing in that pic at the top of my right column...although you can't see it entirely.)

So, a big THANK YOU to Living the Dream! And, to 5 Minutes for Mom! I'm very, very, very happy with my prize!

And the winner is...

Since I hadn't gotten any comments since about 1pm EDT, DaHubby and I went ahead and closed the giveaway. We then went over to Random.org, entered the pertinent info, and got us a winner!

Out of 93 comments (thank you, Jesus!), Random.org picked #29 who turned out to be...Diatribal! And, I've sent her an initial email via her blog.

Thanks to everyone who participated and showed interest! Your comments were a blessing and an encouragement to us! And, if you didn't happen to win, feel free to contact me here, Da Hubby here, or go to northernbranches.com and poke around. DaHubby will have those 10 and many more photos up for purchase shortly.

A BWCAW-themed Giveaway

Update: Giveaway closed as of 7pm EDT. Go here to see the winner!

I'm joining in (late - but better late than never) with Shannon for her awesome idea for a mass giveaway of freebies! LOL So, for my Viking version of the Dog Days of Summer giveaway, I'm giving away DaHubby...not! *wink* Not him but one of his awesome pictures!

We've been trying to start up an online business for this but it's taken a back seat lately with all that's been going on. We created a special webpage here to display 10 of DaHubby's best photos from his 2006 trip to Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (including my banner photo above).

One winner will be chosen from the comments received on this post. I will close voting at 10pm EDT Friday and post the winner ASAP after that.

The winner will be able to select one photo of the ten to be printed in ANY size from 4" X 6" to 20" X 30". Due to the out-of-pocket cost to us for printing as well as shipping, I am only able to open this giveaway to U.S. and Canadian residents (there ya' go, Anita! *wink*)

As a winner, I would need to request your "snail mail" address to ship you the photo so if you are uncomfortable with that, please don't enter this giveaway.

And, of course, should you NOT win and still want one of the pictures, you are more than welcome to email me next week and be honored as our first "official" paying customer! *wink*

So, once you leave a comment here, click back to Shannon's place and see the other 180+ giveaways underway! Wa-hoo!

I Won I Won I Won I Won!!!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! This is what I just found in my inbox:

Guess what?

You might want to check 5 Minutes for Mom this morning - cause you won a living the dream t shirt in the July 4th Giveaway!!!

If you can write us back with your shipping info, we will forward your email on the to the company and you can arrange styles etc directly with them.

Congrats and Happy July 4th!

Janice
www.5minutesformom.com