Grey skies are going to clear up….
….put on a happy smile! Things are turning around for me! Maddie is better, the skies are sunny & warm, and I won TWO contests on TWO different blogs! Whoo-hoo!
I won this hat from Oodles of Yarn. It is a handmade and super cute! It arrived on Saturday and I couldn’t believe how soft it is. It is also super thick and warm. Mine is in this really great blue color.
Next, one of my favorite blogs ClemsonGirl and The Coach is having an entire month of give aways in celebration of her birthday. Each day she will have something really great to give away. When I saw the gorgeous pottery pieces she was giving away on Tuesday I entered right away. I have always had this “thing” for pottery and have big dreams of sitting at a potter’s wheel one day and making my own beautiful pieces. I won! Look at the beautiful things that I will be lucky enough to have from Stone Lotus Pottery. The egg plate will be perfect for Easter this year. You know, if you live in the South, you MUST own a deviled egg plate. I also won earrings and a necklace. Don’t the earrings look like little cinnamon buns? Head over to ClemsonGirl and try your luck – while you are there sit a while and read her blog….be careful. You will laugh hysterically.
Viewing the Oscars
Last week, while I was home with my sick daughter the highlight of my day was getting to watch The View. On Friday they had Robert Verdi on discussing Oscar fashions. He is so funny…but so right too. Tomorrow, Serena Williams will be co-hosting the show where they will recap all of the Oscar fun…including the fashions! I can’t wait! So if you are watching the Oscars tonight, be sure to tune into The View tomorrow.
I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.
On The Mend…
Maddie & myself are feeling better. She was diagnosed with some weird form of pneumonia that seems to have stumped the Doctors, x-ray machine, CT scan, and her parents. She is on meds & breathing treatments now…so a speedy recovery is on its way! As for me, it has been a rough week. I need a few days to get back in my groove (and get rid of this nasty cold that I picked up in one of the icky waiting rooms). Please come back on Monday for usual KatyShops fun!
Dinner in a flash!
We are still living in a medical mystery world with my daughter. She is showing no improvement and had a really bad day yesterday. We are meeting with a few of her doctors this morning…hoping they can figure the whole thing out. Between sleepless nights and days spent at the hospital, it can be hard to figure out what to cook for dinner – or even muster up the energy to throw something together. My mom picked up some of the new McCormick Recipe Inspiration Spice Mixes….they look really good. They give you all of the spices & a list of other ingredients that you need, and all of the instructions to put together a really great meal. You don’t even have to measure anything! She found them at her grocery store – I’m going to see if I can find them at mine. They sell for $1.99 online. There are 6 different recipes to chose from. Apple & Sage Pork chops, Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas, Quesidilla Casserole, Rosemary Roasted Chicken, Shrimp & Pasta Primavera, and Spanish Chicken Skillet.
Free goodies…
Thanks for all of your well wishes yesterday…she is still sick, but not any worse – so that is a good thing, right? Freebies always lift my spirits…I hope they lift yours!
Corner Bakery Cafe is offering a FREE breakfast Panini if you become a Facebook fan!
Vitamin Water will give you a free bottle if you become their Facebook fan.
Print out this coupon for free Biscuit & Gravy from Waffle House! No purchase necessary. Love it!
Free E.L.F Manicure kit – the form is weird after you submit it, so I’m not sure if we will get it or not.
Bounce sample, free Arm & Hammer soda shaker, free subscription to Maxim.
Another free book download from Kindle – historical fiction “Booth’s Sister” by Jane Singer.
Download this free song “Alice’s Theme” by Danny Elfman from the new movie soundtrack – my girls can’t wait to see this movie!
Funny? Not.
Funny how yesterday I wrote a post about being prepared. I also spent the day at the hospital with my oldest daughter. We left the house at 8:30 am to visit the doctor for a fever & severe back pain. Were sent to the hospital for a chest x-ray (to rule out pneumonia), then were sent to the Children’s hospital for a CT Scan. Everything is fine, they ruled out all of the serious stuff and are chalking it up to a weird virus. We ended up back at home at 7:00 pm. I was not PREPARED for that!!! So, no blog post today….I’m going to keep feeding her pain killers and hope that she feels better really soon.
No Worries.
Besides packing a million pairs of gloves & socks for Riley’s ski trip, I threw in bandaids, Tylenol, and antibiotic cream. It really is important to always be prepared. Here are a few ways to make sure that you are ready for any emergency:
This one is great for traveling. It has tampons, pain relievers, band-aids, lip balm and more.
I love this one for your glove box or desk drawer…just pick the “help” kit that suits you. Or pick a few, they are only $4.
Sometimes you need your first aid kit to be waterproof. I love this one for only $5.99- you can even keep your cell phone in it.
Go Ski.
Apparently, last week 49 out of the 50 states had snow. Can you believe that? Riley is leaving today for a ski trip in North Carolina. Lucky for her…there will be snow (might be man-made…but who cares)! We have been packing her bags with all kinds of cold weather gear…
Let’s take it from the top…
With a few extra hats thrown in…
Memories…
Doesn’t this remind you of those rope bracelets that you used to get on vacation? I used to buy one of these every Summer in Florida and wear it until it was gross.
And these…did you wear Tretorns? I loved them. They are having a sale right now….
There are a few great ways to earn gift cards & rewards while surfing the web. The two that I use most are Swag Bucks & MyPoints.
- Swag Bucks – You get paid “Swag Bucks” for surfing the web. You can cash them in for gifts and gift cards. 450 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. Right now if you sign up and enter the Swag Code KATYSHOPS, you will get 60 swag bucks! The code will be active from Feb 25th starting at 6am (PST) and will extend to Thursday March 4th at 6am. The code is case sensitive. Click the box below to get started.
- MyPoints is another great way to earn a few prizes…just click through on a few emails a day and earn points that can be turned into gift cards for a ton of different stores and restaurants.
Freebies
***Tomorrow, I will be giving away a SwagBucks code for new users (good for 6 swag bucks!!) & on Friday, I will be announcing the winner of my BareMinerals Blush – so go enter!!***
Free $10 Bahama Breeze gift card, free subscription to Soap Opera Digest, free South Beach bar.
Hurry for this one. Olay is giving away 1,000 Regenerist Trio kits for free tomorrow 2/24 starting at 12PM EST.
For the Atlanta area…get a $50 Visa gift card when you test drive a Buick.
For everyone…get a $25 gift card when you test drive a Kia.
You can request a free sample of Pediasure, (plus coupons) by calling the number 1-800-227-5767 and speaking to the operator during business hours.
Have you downloaded Kindle for your iTouch, iPhone, or Blackberry yet (for free)? Here is a cute book that is free to download..
