Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I'm moving!

I'm in the process of moving to Wordpress. Please come on over to Rowell Reviews, but keep in mind that it's a work in progress. I'm still working on getting the layout the way I want.

I hope to see you over there!

Billie

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Costume Squad T-Shirts Review & Giveaway


Where to Buy: Costume Squad 

About the site: Costume Squad sells, yes, you guessed it, costumes! But they also have a large number of cool t-shirts. There are several categories, even Zombie t-shirts.

My Review (Jake's Review, in this case):

Jake's main staple in his wardrobe are t-shirts and jeans. His favorite t-shirts are of bands, movies, or those with funny sayings. Costume Squad is a good place to get any of those. You can check out their Funny t-shirts or Best sellers to see which fit your style. I personally like the awesome collection of 80s t-shirts.

Unfortunately, slang has it's grips on our 14 year old son. And my least favorite of all his sayings is "that's what she said". As much as I cringe when I hear it, when I had my choice of t-shirts to review from Costume Squad, this was the one I chose.

We received the shirt promptly and Jake actually wore it the next day. The blue color was bright and there it was, the coolest of all sayings today. The shirt is a soft material, but durable. We've washed the shirt a few times since Jake wants to wear it often and it's still retaining its original color and appeal. Shrinking is usually an issue with t-shirts, but this shirt is maintaining it's size.

Me: So, Jake. What do you think about your shirt?
Jake: Cool.
Me: That's it?
Jake: It's a cool shirt?

Ah, 14 year olds. Plenty to say, unless you actually ask them.

The Giveaway: One lucky person will win their choice of Costume Squad t-shirts. ($19.99 or less).

Mandatory Entry:  Follow me via Google Friend Connect. Please leave your email address in at least one of your comments. Mandatory entry must be completed for any extra entries to count.

Extra entries: Complete as many extra entries as you like, but please leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

+1 "Like" my Facebook page Rowell Reviews.

+1 Follow me on Twitter. @rowellreviews.

+1 Tweet this giveaway. You can use this tweet: I entered to #win a new t-shirt from Costume Squad and @rowellreviews you can too! Check out http://bit.ly/eXJage for your chance! Please RT Can be done once daily.

+1 "Like" Costume Squad on Facebook.

+1 "Like" or "Share" one of the products on our website.  The buttons for these are on all product detail pages, above the main image.


Giveaway Rules: US entries only. The giveaway begins January 23, 2011 and ends at 11:59 February 13, 2011. At that time, I will use random.org to choose a winner. I will email and post the winner's name here. The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. For this giveaway per sponsor: Winners cannot have won a shirt from us or have been sent a shirt for promotional purposes in the last 90 days.

Disclosure: I received a free product in exchange for an honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are honest and mine alone.

Let's Get Social 1/23

Let's Get Social

What is Let’s Get Social?
Let’s Get Social is a weekly link-up hosted by a fabulous group of five bloggers we call the Fab 5! The Fab 5 includes Bridget of Guide to Smart Shopping, Jennifer of Sweep Tight, Jessica of Mom of all Trades, Tree of Mother of Pearl It Is, and Brandi of Life with Five Monkies.
We created Let’s Get Social as a means to socialize with other bloggers as well as help you gain more followers! You can follow via any social method you like. You can also follow using more than one method and we encourage you to do so! Please be sure to leave a comment letting the person know how you followed so they can follow you back.

To Participate:
-Follow all of the hosts in the first 5 spots. Please leave a comment on our Let’s Get Social post letting us know how you follow and we will follow you back. Please be patient with us as it might take us a couple days to get through everybody.

-After you have made sure to follow each host, follow as many other bloggers as you like commenting on their hop post as you do so so they can follow you back!

-All blogs participating must post about Let’s Get Social each week when linking up. Please include our button using the code provided above in your post. This will help to get the word out about Let’s Get Social.

-Link-up the post you made on your blog for Let’s Get Social. Please link directly to your post instead of to your homepage.

This linky will go live every Saturday at 9:01 pm EST!  Direct links to your hop post only please! Links to your homepage, other blog hop, or giveaways will be deleted.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Twitter Hop Tuesday 1/18

Would you like to have more Twitter followers and be able to find new blogs or businesses? If so come and join the hostesses: Shining2Save, Living on Love and Cents and Luxury Living Frugal Style Every Tuesday!





 
1. Add your Twitter URL to the Linky below: when you add it, it will automatically appear on everyone’s page that posts this Linky so you do not need to add it more than once

2. Click on the top 3 Twitter Names and follow them: The top 3 will be the hostesses; Shining2Save, Living on Love and Cents and Luxury Living Frugal Style we will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like: Be sure to leave comments or send them a message so they will know where to follow you back.

You do not have to make a post to join: but it is always a plus if you do so everyone else can see and join in on the fun! 


Help spread the word and add this Linky to your blog! The more we spread it the more followers we will get!

Below the Linky box, you will see see “What is a blog Hop? Get the Code Here" Click on it and just copy and paste that code into your post and the same Linky will appear. Your blog visitors can add their Twitter ID to your list and it will show up on all lists!

Feel free to copy and paste these instructions or just post the button and link back to me.
 
Please only add your Twitter url. All other entries will be deleted.
 
Thank you and Have Fun Twitter Hopping!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Reel Reviews Case 39

Title: Case 39 IMDb
DVD Release Date: January 4, 2011.
Rated: R for violence and some disturbing imagery.
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane.
Favorite Quote: None.
Storyline:
Renee Zellweger plays an overworked, but ambitious social worker. She's got 38 cases on her plate and little time for anything else. Her superior drops a file on her desk, case 39. About five minutes into the movie you realize she lives for her work and the other aspects of her life are faltering a bit. She has a date with Bradley Cooper and hear her reasonings/excuses for her lack of dating.

Emily begins to investigate her latest case, a 10 year old girl Lillith, first by visiting the family in question. From the first step into their house, she finds things peculiar and disturbing. The mother looks haggard, the little girl scared, and the father at first refuses to even speak with her. When he finally comes to the living room, he refuses to speak directly but rather through the mother. When asked why, she's told he hates speaking in anger.

When the family makes it's appearance at her office, they are the picture perfect family and Emily's superior tells her there is no case. In secret, Lillith tells Emily that she heard her parents saying they were going to send her to Hell, but later denies it. Emily gives Lillith her personal number if she ever needs it and it's a short time later when Emily receives the call that Lillith's parents are coming for her.

When Emily arrives with her police officer friend, they have to break down the door and find Lillith's parents in the kitchen having duct taped Lillith into the oven. From then on, Emily is charged with Lillith's safety, but more so with finding out why Lillith's parents were trying to kill her and why they had bolts on the inside of their doors.

Billie's Views:
The whole movie had an eerie quality, lots of greys and dreary scenary. About five minutes into the movie, I was very pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Bradley Cooper, yum! I had no idea he was in the movie and he's one of my latest crushes. Have you seen those abs? Anyway, I had a hard time believing Renee in this particular role. I'm used to her in upbeat bubbly type movies so this was a bit of a stretch, but she tried. I've seen this type of movie over and over, but it was an interesting take.

Riddle Me This: (could possibly contain spoilers, read at own risk).
I pegged that something was wrong with the little girl right away. As soon as I saw them putting her into the oven, I knew that she was evil in some way and that they were actually protecting themselves from her instead of the way around. I wish there had been a little more development as to why she was evil.

Score:
I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. I would have liked a different main actress and it would have been a bit scarier. I kept seeing Renee in her Bridget Jones' role and it made it difficult to take this role seriously. I would watch it again if it was on tv. I did recommend it to a co-worker.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Changes in the mix

After researching and talking with quite a few bloggers, I've decided to move to Wordpress. I'm usually one of those people that jumps into a new project with both feet and then fizzles out. I hesitated with blogging because of this, but I truly think it's something that I can see through. I have a lot to contribute. I have big goals!

In the meantime, while I research how to best accomplish this move, I'm going to limit my posting. Simple reasoning for this is, less posting, less to move.

I will keep joining blog hops, just because they are fun and I love finding new blogs to read and hoping that people might latch onto my blog as well.

If anyone has any tips or advice for the moving process or blogging in general, feel free to comment.

Thanks so much!

Billie

Friday, January 14, 2011

Fun Follow Friday

Welcome to Fun Follow Friday hosted by Simply Stacie and My Wee View. The goal of this hop is to get new Google Friend Connect Followers for your blog and be introduced to new blogs to follow! We wanted to keep it fun and easy so all you have to do is add your blog link and start blog hopping and following away! You aren’t required to write a post for your blog for Fun Follow Fridayunless you want to (but we really appreciate it if you do to help get the word out).

When you visit a blog that you like and want to follow, leave them a comment with your link telling them you are following from the Fun Follow Friday. Of course, we would love for you to follow both hostesses blogs, Simply Stacie and My Wee View, but it isn’t mandatory. If you do follow us, just leave us a comment and we will follow you back.

The main goal is to have fun and follow the blogs that interest you!
There are a few fun things that Fun Follow Fridays does each week:
1.  Each week 1 winner will be randomly drawn for the #3 Spot, this week it’s Growing towards a dream.
Happy hopping along!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Mary Kay Satin Hands Review & Giveaway

Do you wash your hands often? Soap can dry them out, even those that boast moisturizing enhancements. Weather can also cause dry hands, in extreme cases leading to cracking and bleeding.

I have the double whammy, I wash my hands often (I work at a casino, money is dirty) and Iowa weather is extremely dry in the winters. My hands often get very dry. The skin gets tight and itchy, which is annoying and unsightly.

I have used almost every hand lotion out there and there are few that can stand up to the washing and weather. That is, until now. My sister, Danielle, is a consultant for Mary Kay. I tried Satin Hands at her open house and I'm in love! It is a simple three step process that leaves your hands silky smooth and even withstands handwashing!

Step 1: Satin Hands Hand Softener. Dampen hands and add a small amount of softener. Rub thoroughly onto hands. You can choose to leave it on as long as you'd like, overnight being optimal.

Step 2: Satin Hands Satin Smoothie Hand Scrub. One pump of this and warm water, cleanses and exfoliates your skin beautifully. It actually suds up nicely in the water.

Step 3: Satin Hands Hand Cream. Apply a small amount to your hands.This cream is just the right thickness, without feeling greasy. Your hands will instantly feel moisturized and baby soft. The cream lasts up to 24 hours, even through hand washing.

If you're looking Mary Kay consultant, Danielle is available for all your beauty needs. You can reach her via email at dgelder(at)marykay.com or visit her website at Danielle's Mary Kay Page.



Giveaway:

One lucky person will win their very own Mary Kay Satin Hands Pampering set, including hand softener, smoothie scrub, and hand cream.


Mandatory Entry: (Please leave your email address in at least ONE of your comments.) Follow me via Google Friend Connect.

Extra entries: (Mandatory Entry must be completed for extra entries to count) Complete as many extra entries as you like, but please leave a separate comment for each.

+1 Visit Danielle's Mary Kay Site, leave a comment here stating your favorite item.

+1 "Like" my Facebook Page Rowell Reviews.

+1 Follow me on Twitter @rowellreviews. +1 if you tweet this giveaway.

+1 Leave a comment with tip, trick, or advice for a new blogger. +1 if you leave a link.

+1 Grab my button and leave a link where you've placed it.

The giveaway begins January 12, 2011 and ends at 11:59 January 31, 2011, US entries only. At that time, I will use random.org to choose a winner. I will email and post the winner's name here. The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

I received no monetary compensation for this review. I received Mary Kay Satin Hands as a present before I even had a blog. All opinions expressed are honest and mine alone.





Giveaways

Mary Kay Satin Hands Pampering Set 1/12-1/31

Product Reviews

Coming Soon!

Contact Me

If you would like a product review/giveaway or have questions or comments, please leave a comment on a post or feel free to contact me with one of the ways below.


Email randomrowell@yahoo.com

Facebook Rowell Reviews on Facebook

Twitter @rowellreviews

About Me

Hi there! I'm Billie. I'm 31 years old, ugh almost 32, but in all actuality I'm likely closer to 15 or so (at least that's how I act most of the time). There are some body parts that are starting to act their age. I'm highly opinionated and apparantly smart(ass), but entirely too lazy for my own good. I work full time at a casino. I love cooking, but especially baking as my chubby cheeks can attest. I love games, any kind from video to board to made-up. I love sweepstakes and giveaways, though working on my blog is seriously cutting down on my time for that, but I'm having fun with it. I'm hard at work on my blog, researching and hope to do reviews and giveaways.


I'm married to a sarcastic foul-mouthed sweetheart, Richard. He avoids my camera like the plague and every time I attempt to snap a picture he growls and breathes fire. I'll try to capture one snap to post on here, but no promises.

I'm step step-mom to an insane 14 year old, Jake. On a daily basis we run the full spectrum of a love hate relationship. Sometimes I'm the cooliest of the cool and sometimes I'm the most hideous of all the step mothers to ever walk the planet.


I'm mom to four furbabies. I love them all dearly.
My Brutus (Boo, Boo Boo Love, Pretty Pants) and I have been together for eight years. My ex boyfriend picked him up for me from a farm. He has a high meow and loves to be near me. He often stands on my keyboard until I give him attention. My birthday is March 15. The Ides of March. Et tu, Brute?


Roman (Roro) is seven years old. If he were a person, I imagine him to be much like a surfer who just likes to catch waves and chill in the sun. Roman is very laid back. On occasion he howls and I think it's his song to the lovely females he's visited on the few times he's bolted out the door before we could catch him.



 Little Man (Littles, Little Bear) is two and a half years old. He was born at our neighbor's house to a stray cat and his mother kept leaving him alone. We left food out for him several times, but had no plans to have a third cat. One day, Jake walked in with the ball of fur in his arms and I was hooked. The neighbor had named him Pumpkin, but we called him Little Terrorist because he would chase the other two cats. It eventually morphed into Little Man and stuck.


This is Asia. My insane, eat anything except grapes, marshmallows, and peppers, non-stop energy, bark at anything, knock you over and lick your face, chocolate lab. She's five years old and still acts like a puppy. She requires constant attention, which we are happy to give. When she tires herself out, she snores louder than Richard. She can clear a room with her dog farts and is the strongest dog. I've yet to find a toy she can keep longer than a few months.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Follow Me Back Tuesday 1-11-11

Photobucket


It's everyone's favorite day of the week again, Tuesday..
So that means it's time to link up & follow for
Follow Me Back Tuesday

Hosted By: 
 
& This Week's Guest Host's Are...



 


 How it Works

  • Follow all 3 Hosts & Guest Host's - Spots 1-5   leave a comment w/ a link to your blog so we can follow you back  ( only leave a comment that you follow if you actually follow )
  • Snag our button & make a F.M.B.T. post.
  • After you post use that link to add your blog to the hop along with your blog name  
( NO BLOG HOPs & GIVEAWAYS PLEASE  ) These entries will be deleted.
  • Follow the blogs you like & Follow Back who follows you ( Remember to leave a comment so you can be followed back )
  • And most importantly - Have Fun and Come back and see us every Tuesday !!
 
Welcome all hoppers! Please leave me a comment and your blog address, I'll visit back. Leave me comments, I eat them like dessert. Yum! I like questions, comments, advice, tips, tricks, chips and dip, chocolate and peanut butter...uh, guess I'm hungry.


Reel Reviews The Social Network

Reel Reviews 


Title: The Social Network IMDb
DVD Release Date: January 11, 2011
Rated: PG-13 for some language, sexual reference and drug/alcohol use.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer (who I only knew who he was because he was on Chelsea Lately recently), Brenda Song (if you have kids you might recognize her from Suite Life of Zack and Cody, she played the ditzy heiress London Tipton), Justin Timberlake.
Favorite Quote: "I want to hire the Sopranos to kick his ass." "If I wanted to kick his ass I'd do it myself. I'm six-one, two twenty, and there are two of me". "You're going to hand them a business card that says I'm CEO, bitch."

Storyline:
     Ah, the beginnings of Facebook. The movie follows Mark Zuckerberg as he faces two trials, both of which he's the defendant. One lawsuit is former best friend and CFO of Facebook and the second is three students from Harvard in which they are suing him for intellectual property rights. The movie flip flops between the hearings and as Mark is questioned, the movie flashbacks to the answers.
     Mark's first attempt at a social program is of course brought on by a girl. While hate blogging, he comes up with an idea of uploading pictures of Harvard's female students and users being able to choose which of them is hotter, with two girls going head to head. After he's questioned by the school, he annouces he should be recognized for being able to breach their security and bringing it to their attention.
     He's then approached by three students (those that eventually sue) to work with them on a project that would exclusively allow Harvard students to have their own page to interact with each other. He has a better idea and begins implementing it with help from his roomates and a friend.
    Facebook takes off from there, attracting the attention of Sean Parker of Napster fame. The movie obviously ends with the outcome of each of the lawsuits.


    
Billie's Views:
     All in the all the movie was decent. I had little desire to know how Facebook started until I heard about this movie coming out. Years ago my sister kept telling me to make a Facebook page so finally I made one just to shut her up. And now? I'm on Facebook pretty much constantly. I like the games, but it's also an easy way to connect with others and stay in contact with friends and family. From the movie, my take on Mark is that he's obviously extremely smart, but thinks with his head only and was often led astray by people that might have had interests in things other than his well being. I felt bad for Eduardo Savarin, the CFO that sued him for 500 million or some such ghastly amount. He pretty much got screwed over in the whole deal.

Riddle Me This: (could possibly contain spoilers, read at own risk)
     No riddles in this one, the movie was pretty straightforward with no mystery.
    
Score
     I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. The acting was good, Jesse Eisenberg plays a great genius, almost cold though. No reason to watch it again, unless someone I was hanging out with wanted to watch it.

Day 6 30 Days of Truth

Day 06 Something you hope never to have to do.

Hmm well, as much as I hate the bad things that happen to me, it's probably those things that give me my winning personality. Actually, that's a load of crap. That's what people tell themselves after bad things have happened. Oh it will make you stronger, oh look how much easier it is to appreciate the good things in life. Honestly? I'd be perfectly happy to appreciate the good things without having to hike through the garbage.

Uh guess I went off subject a little there, but back to the topic at hand. My very first answer was I hope to never have to bury a child. Then I after I thought about it a little longer, I've come up with a few more things I hope to never have to do.

Cut off my foot to escape shackles.

Eat fried okra. The smell of it alone turns my stomach.

Be thrown from an airplane.

Have to pop someone else's zit. I know some people are picky/poppy people, but you can count me off that list.

I'm sure there are tons of other things that I hope to never have to do, but as 30 Days of Truth has helped me realize...I have no motivation to figure them all out. *wink*

Blog It Forward Tuesday

Join Us For a New Hop! "Blog It Forward Tuesday"

Introducing Blog It Forward Tuesday! A blog hop and giveaway linky hosted by Just Married with Coupons and Sweep Tight. The concept of this blog hop is the same as any other - to meet new bloggers and gain more followers. But, what if we took it a step further?


The idea of the Blog It Forward theme is to not only gain more followers, but also do something a little extra for each other (pay it forward).


Instead of just following each blog, take an extra minute to do a little more. Some examples could be...referring them to your facebook friends, tweet about them, stumble a post, add their giveaway to a linky...get creative. We all know how busy us bloggers can be, so little things like this are really appreciated!


Here are the simple rules:
1.Follow both hosts - Just Married with Coupons and Sweep Tight - via Google Friend Connect. Make sure you leave a comment and we will follow back.
2.Grab our button if you would like to help spread the word! The more people who know, the more fun!
3.Follow any other blogs that may interest you.
4.Blog it forward if you can! Just one random act of niceness to another blogger can go a long way.
5.Don't forget to add your giveaways to the second linky, too!
The linkys will open every Monday at 7:00pm CST. You only need to add your link to one linky for it to show up on all participating blogs.




As an added bonus, you can add your giveaways or enter any you're interested in at the end of the blog hop, there's also a linky for that.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Day 5 30 Days of Truth

Day 05 Something you hope to do in your life.

This is something that I could write about for along time. There are so many things that I hope to do in my life, but if you've read any of my previous posts, lack of motivation is my biggest fault.

The biggest thing I hope to do in my life at this moment, is become a mother. I claim my husband's son as my own and I'm very happy to have him in my life, but I long to have my own child. When I was younger, I would hear of that old biological clock ticking and now that I'm *gasp* 31 years old and childless, I can hear and feel that clock pounding in every core of my being. Everywhere I look I see babies and all that encompasses them and my stomach flip flops. I often feel guilty at my inner bitterness when I see a mother or father holding their big cheeked baby. I truly hope that having a child is in my future.

Something I hope to do in my life is go on a real family vacation with Richard and Jake. I would love to win a trip to Disney world or something like that. I hope to accomplish this before Jake gets too old.

I want to write a novel. I have so many half ideas and storylines. I think if I put in some honest effort, I could spin one of those into something decently readable.

I want to travel! Of course, it's been many years since I've been on a plane, but I want to visit Italy and Ireland. Actually, I would probably go anywhere, just to go.

I hope to continue working on my education. Of course this requires deciding what I want to be when I grow up, but that's a very difficult decision. I'm much like a 5 year old that changes her mind constantly! There's so much that I want to do that I feel a little antsy when I try to focus in on one thing.

I think I'll stop there. I could go on and on, literally.

What are you hoping to do in your life?

Day 4 30 Days of Truth

Day 04 Something you have to forgive someone for.

I'm generally very quick to forgive most things. I hate to have tension between people especially people that are close to me. I'm like a firecracker when it comes to fights, there's a spark, a lot of noise, and it fizzles out fast. I can get very heated when something bothers me, but it fades just as fast.

I searched my brain trying to find something or someone that I've yet to forgive and honestly it's difficult to come up with anything. The one thing that I can come up with, is that my "Father" basically dropped out of my life when I was about 15 and has had little contact with me since. But, I have such a wonderful step-father and I actually hate to call him that because to me he's just Dad, that it's hard to complain. I do get a little bitter when I think of my biological as I'm his firstborn and he makes no effort. I suppose that's something that I need to forgive and move on.

Day 3 30 Days of Truth

Day 03 — Something you have to forgive yourself for.

"Forgiveness. It's more than saying sorry. I'm sorry. To forgive is divine, so let's have a glass of wine and have make-up sex 'til the end of time..." Quote courtesy of Anna Faris in Just Friends.

There are probably many things that I should learn to forgive myself for, but there is one that I carry with me and am often reminded of. My brother and sister recently turned 21, they are a little less than eleven years younger than me.

I moved out of the house when I was 17, they were around 6 years old. I wanted to get out and do my own thing. I visited them often, babysat even, but I feel like I missed a lot of them growing up. Right around then is when our family had a lot of rough things going on and I should have been there more for them. I should have protected them from the situations they had to go through. They moved around alot and went through some really hard times. When they moved about two hours away, our visits were fewer and far between.

When they were 12, they moved back here and I put a lot of effort into being a part of their lives. My sister is truly my best friend. We talk almost everyday and spend time together watching movies or trying out new recipes, generally hanging out once a week. While this makes me extremely happy, it also makes me feel a bit guilty as my relationship with my brother is less close. There have been circumstances that have made it difficult for us to maintain our relationship, but I'm putting effort into returning it to what it once was.

I need to forgive myself for being away from them. They have turned into fantastic people that I'm happy to know and love.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The First Alphabet Meme 2011 Sunday Stealing

I stumbled upon a weekly meme that caught my eye, called Sunday Stealing. Apparantly each week, this blog steals memes from other blogs. They do credit the original blog and sometimes edit it a bit, but hey, I fugre it's something to participate in and hopefully have some fun with it. So here's my first post for Sunday Stealing.


The First Alphabet Meme 2011

A is for Age: 31

B is for Beer of choice: Beer is the ick.

C is for Career: Currently a slot attendant, which basically means casino b!tch.

D is for favourite Drink: Orange juice or chocolate milk

E is for Essential item you use everyday: Lotion

F is for Favourite song at the moment: Whip My Hair by Willow Smith, just kidding! But it is catchy.

G is for favourite Game: Right now, Frontierville on Facebook.

H is for Home town: Waterloo

I is for Instruments you play: I could probably still squeak the clarinet. I always wanted to learn the drums or guitar.

J is for favourite Juice: All of them, orange, apple, cranberry, pineapple.

K is for Kids: Yes, please. Sign me up. Where do I get one?

L is for Last kiss: Do big wet sloppy dog kisses count? Then it was from her...


M is for marriage: Almost three years now.

N is for full Name: Princess Consuela Bananahammock

O is for Overnight hospital stays: None since I was a baby.

P is for phobias: Sedation

Q is for quote:  Usually I can think of tons of these, but none are coming to mind.

R is for biggest Regret: Taking the Depo-Provera shot.

S is for sports: I like baseball in person, but it's been years since I've been to a game. The rest is bleh.

T is for Time you wake up: Depends on what time I have to be to work, usually an  hour and a half before that.

U is for colour of underwear: Purple.

V is for Vegetable you love: Corn, Beans

W is for Worst Habit: There are alot of these.

X is for X-rays you've had: Teeth, feet, back.

Y is for Yummy food you make: I do a mean job of most breakfast foods.

Z is for zodiac sign: Pisces.

Day 2 30 Days of Truth

Day 02 — Something you love about yourself

Surprisingly, this one was easy. I love my loyalty. I'm fiercely loyal to my family and those I love. I'm the first person banging down the door of those that insulted them, took advantage of them, made them feel stupid, or hurt them in anyway.

My motto has always been "I can mess with my family, but nobody else can."

My family and loved ones know that they can call on me at any time when they need me and I'll be there for them. I'll change a tire, help them fix their computer, bake them a cake, tell someone off, or join in on their latest rant.

I may tell someone they're a dumbass if the occasion warrants it, but I offer my assistance anyway.

What do you love about yourself?

Day 1 30 Days of Truth

Day 01 — Something you hate about yourself.

Ah, something I hate about myself. My first reaction was...everything. The easier question would be, what do I like about myself. But in all actuality, there is little that I actually hate in the world at all. Hate is an extremely powerful word as it requires a lot of effort. There are things that I strongly dislike, but little that I would say I put the time and energy into actually hating. Is that lazy? Perhaps.

So as far as something that I strongly dislike about myself? There are a few things that pop into mind. I would say the biggest one that bothers me, is my lack of motivation. I fancy myself a very creative and imaginative person with big dreams and high hopes, however I have no follow through. I have lofty goals, but fall behind when it comes to actually putting something together.

This is something that I struggle with in all aspects of my life. Weight being the first and foremost with all the New Year's Resolutions breathing down our necks. I shy away from setting resolutions, because they seem like a set up to failure.

Oh, I just thought of something I actually do hate about myself. I have OCD. It causes most of my frustration and self-loathing. But that's a whole long post and I have no motivation (get it? haha) to write about it.

So what do you hate about yourself? Are you working on changing it?

30 Days of Truth


I read an email from Biz Mommy about a posting challenge of sorts called 30 Days of Truth. She joined up with the blog With Just a Bit of Magic to post once per day, each day having it's own question or topic to write about.

I think this is a great idea to help me discover my blog writing style and to learn some interesting things about other bloggers and myself. I'm starting a few days late so I'll be catching up today. I make no promises to actually do this in 30 days, but by the end of it, it will be 30 days worth of truth.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Twitter Hop Thursday

Along with blog hops for blog followers, I thought it would be a smarty pants idea to join some Twitter hops as well, though my followers there are quite a bit bigger than for my blog...hey, the more the merrier. So hop on it, leave me a comment or whatever is on your mind and enjoy yourself!

Sweeper's Spotlight at Sweep Tight

Sweeper's Spotlight at Sweep Tight

I love winning things! The first time I ever got a congratulations screen, I was hooked like nobody's business. I would almost say obsessively hooked at first. I would be up in the middle of the night entering sweepstakes. I've toned it down quite a bit since then and I make sure that I take breaks, otherwise I burn out. Surprise wins are some of my favorite, they just show up out of nowhere and put a huge smile on my face!

I've been featured at Sweep Tight in her Sweeper's Spotlight. It's really encouraging to read about other people's wins and their tips and tricks. Feel free to read a bit about my sweepstaking story!

If you're a sweepstakes/giveaway junky like me, feel free to share your wins, tips and tricks!

New Blog Hop



It's my goal to join at least one blog hop each week, to find those hidden blog gems and to hopefully gain some followers for mine. One blog(ger) that has been especially helpful for me is Sweep Tight. When she posted that she and a few other bloggers from the Blogmania Dream Team were starting a new blog hop, I knew I wanted to be a part of it! There's even a giveaway, $25 cash! If you'd like to read more about the hop or the giveaway check out Sweep Tight's post at Let's Get Social Blog Hop and Giveaway.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Reel Reviews Frozen

Reel Reviews 

Title: Frozen IMDb
DVD Release Date: September 28, 2010
Rated: R
Starring: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers
Favorite Quote: "Hmm, smell that mountain air. You know what that smells like? ...Cancer."

Storyline:

     Parker joins her boyfriend, Dan and his best friend Joe on their Sunday ski day, much to the dismay of Joe. Skiing at Mount Holliston is usually bros only and Joe feels a little jilted since Dan has been spending all his time with Parker. The guys generally bribe the girl running the ski lift to let them on without buying lift tickets, but when she's nowhere to be found, Parker is asked to turn on her charm and convince the guy working to let them on. She succeeds and they spend their day on the smaller slopes as Parker is a bit inexperienced.

     As the day goes on, the three smooth talk their way back onto the lift just before close for the last run. Miscommunication and misfortune lead to the lift being shut down as they are halfway up the mountain. As the they realize that they are indeed stranded dangling in the air on a ski lift that will be closed until the following weekend, they are forced to make the difficult decisions. Do they stay on the lift and wait to be rescued or try something more drastic?

Billie's Views:

     I saw this movie preview on some other dvd I rented and wanted to see it. I had forgotten about it until I was browing the movie shelves, I saw it and picked it up. I would say this is more suspense than a horror movie. I liked the storyline, though it was limited in what could happen as they spent most of the movie stranded on a ski lift. The acting was believable and the movie made me think about what I would do in that position. If you have weak stomach, there are definitely some parts in the movie where you might want to look away. I have a pretty strong stomach and I still furrowed my brows and groaned a few times.

Riddle Me This: (could possibly contain spoilers, read at own risk)
     Why did the wolves let her go? They had just eaten two people, you would think the would want more. I guess maybe they were full. And speaking of wolves, though they looked badass, you would think that a ski resort would have some sort of deterrant to a pack of wolves running around on the slopes. Richard brought up the fact that at the end of the movie they pan down the slope and by the ski lodge, showing their car. We both thought that the staff of a closing ski resort might check out any vehicles left behind to see what guests they belong to.

Score:
     I give it a 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for decent storyline, believable acting, and some ick factor. Plus, wolves look cool. I'd watch it again if it was on tv.
         

Monday, January 3, 2011

Seeking Sponsors for Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway



I'm very excited to be participating in my first blog event. The Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway will showcase giveaways of handmade items or gift certificates to purchase handmade creations. The event begins in February from the 2nd through the 6th. So far, 188 blogs have joined and this event expects much traffic for sponsors and blogs alike.

As the only thing I can handmake is a mess, I'm seeking companies who are interested in sponsoring my blog giveaway with a handmade item or gift certificate from their company. The prize or gift certificate amount is up to each individual business.

I've only been on the entering side of these events so far, but many blogs that have received record breaking traffic.

As a sponsor, you can expect to share in this traffic. Each sponsor will receive a blog post with a description of their business and a link to their site and other social media links if applicable (including Facebook and Twitter.) Each company will be listed on my sidebar as a sponsor. I will post on Twitter regarding each business, also including a link to their site.

If you're interested in becoming a sponsor or have any questions, please feel free to comment or email me at randomrowell@yahoo.com.

Here's to making this event a huge success!