Galena Cellars

You may remember that little post I wrote a while ago, regarding the incredibly exciting opportunity that the CVB of Galena invited 8 Mommy bloggers to attend? Well, my heart was happy in Galena. I met 7 women and 2 men (the guides! Swear to God.) that I now consider good friends. We had a blast! And, for me, one of the highlights of the weekend was a trip to the Galena Cellars for a VIP wine tasting. You all know my love of wine...

I had never been to an actual tasting before! To have the different types laid out before me was something I plan on repeating several times in the near future. I arrived, armed with a notepad and pen. Quite honestly, all of the wines received no lower than a half-way smile* (Even the reds!) but my favorite was very evident...
Oktoberfest is a white wine that just feels good in my mouth. Not too dry or sharp tasting and it left me wanting more (which was unfortunate as it was wine #4 or #5 and I was starting to get a bit loopy at that point. Note to self: Just because the generous server fills your glass halfway full of wine, 6 times in a row, does NOT mean you need to finish each glass!). Without even knowing the price, I asked to purchase a bottle.** You have absolutely NO IDEA how thrilled I was when I learned that this wine's price was $10.50!! A wine I can afford!! And it's GOOD, too!!

Needless to say, the Galena Cellars' wines have my stamp of approval. I HIGHLY recommend that you check them out!

Other wines I enjoyed:

Sangria - Fruity and yummy!

Cracklin' Apple - I ALMOST purchased this one until I tasted the Oktoberfest. It almost tasted like a white wine spritzer with an apple flavor... Kind of like a bubbly champagney-applish goodness. It was a really unique and happy wine. ("Happy wine"... Swear to God. That's how I remember it!)



* Yes. I used the highly complex and sophisticated evaluation technique called "Smiley Faces." Feel free to adapt this technique to suit your own needs...

** Anyone who knows me knows how tight I must be with money. This type of impulse purchase is NOT the norm for me!

Winner of the Canvas giveaway!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Winner of the Scentsy giveaway!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Not too shabby! ~ Shabby Apple Review!

Squeeeee!!! I love my new dress!!

Isn't it purty? Don't you love how it moves? I adore how it somehow makes my waist thinner and boobs bigger! It's a MAGIC DRESS. MAGIC, I tell you!!

Want to own your own magic dress? Check out Shabby Apple. They have TONS of beautiful clothing for women and girls, including the above dress modeled on yours truly. (I'm wearing The Circo, if you would like one for yourself. It also comes in navy stripe and is called The Baja).

If you find a pretty something for you or someone you love, you can use this code at Shabby Apple to receive 15% off of your order. The code to be used at checkout is: SAmommyblog5off. It's valid until 5/15/10 so take your time to look around, but get shopping soon to take advantage of this deal.

I am off to figure out where I can wear my new frock*.

*Love that word. And it actually APPLIES in this situation!

SunSkinz review and discount code

You look at this picture and think "Hmm. Cute kid. Blue shirt. What's the big deal?" The big deal is that Evan is wearing a SunSkinz swim shirt which protects against UV rays while he swims. The big deal is that this shirt provides 100SPF/UVF 50 + UV Protection, which basically means that anywhere the shirt covers is skin that is protected from the harmful rays of the sun. Seeing as how my kids are in the pool EVERY day and that reapplying sunscreen is more of an art at our home instead of the science that it should be, this shirt makes me breathe a little easier this summer. Also, knowing the history of skin cancer in Patrick's family, my children need to be in the habit of being as aware of their skin's exposure as possible.

One small issue I have with this shirt though is that the size you see on Evan reads as a size Boys 12. Evan normally wears an 8 (and barely, at that). When we picked this shirt to review, my intentions were to have Justin use it as he is my fairest skinned child and the one who burns the easiest. Justin wears a 12 - 12/14 right now and I was worried that it might be a TAD small, but it was, quite easily, WAY too small. So, if you do order through The Sun Protection Zone, keep that in mind and order large!

If you are interested in the many products that Sun Protection Zone has available for boys, girls and adults, please head on over and use the code mommyblog for 10% off of anything featured on the website! This code is valid until April 15, so start your shopping now!

Canvas Press review and GIVEAWAY!

I have the most FABULOUS giveaway and discount code for you all!!

The people from Canvas Press are eager for everyone to see their beautiful products. They contacted me and, after picking a picture, I quickly received a 16x20" canvas of my choice of photo. My choice (our wedding day) was converted from a digital image into the beautiful, gallery-worthy canvas you see below.(dark coloration is the fault of my camera taking a picture of a picture, not the print!)

I had to think long and hard about the picture I wanted to make into a big shot for our family's home. Initially, I thought that a picture of my children would be the best. But which one? And when I really started to think about it, I realized that we had NO pictures from our wedding larger than a 4x7. (long story about a photographer who changed locations and then didn't develop pictures anymore and, well, we never got any pictures past the proofs that belonged to us... So this was NOT a copyright infringement! Trust me.) I selected the above photo with a black border for the gallery wrap and intend on hanging it above our bed. It will be STUNNING. I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out and positively weepy that we finally have a beautiful piece of art from our wedding day. Thank you to Canvas Press! This will be treasured by my family for generations.

One lucky reader will be able to receive an identical canvas for their own home! (identical size and style. Not an identical photo. Though, if you really want a 16x20 canvas of me and Patrick on our wedding day, well, you are welcome to it...)*

;)

And ALL of you are able to use this code to receive a 15% discount off of your purchase at Canvas Press until Sunday, May 16th (ends Midnight). The code to be used at checkout is mamasays15

To enter for the giveaway, here's what you need to do:

~ tell me which type of picture you think you'd choose for your own canvas: children, vacation, pets, wedding, kid art... the possibilities are endless!

~ Follow me on Twitter.

~ Tweet this giveaway and link back.

~ Subscribe to this blog.

~ Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back.

We'll pick the winner on Friday, April 23rd.

* But that'd be pretty creepy...

Scentsy Giveaway!

I was contacted by Jennifer Morss, an independent consultant for a company called Scentsy. She offered me a pick of any wickless candle system and scented wax to sample and review. I chose the combination below of the Embellish warmer with Honey Pear Cider scent because I thought that the warmer would match most of my rooms (and pear is just my favorite fruit scent!).

Warning: I'm going to gush a bit here. Oh. My. God. The aroma is like... like the yummiest smell I could ever imagine! I have turned it on every day since it arrived this weekend and our house no longer smells like stinky boys and a litter box. Now, it smells like some heavenly baked treat that I can't quite place my finger upon... The one downside? It makes me crave something sweet!! It actually makes Patrick and me HUNGRY! (So, maybe not the best present for the dieting friend???)

:)

I enjoyed this review so much, that I agreed to do not only a giveaway but also a book party so that I can try to earn more credit towards the other scents that sound so delicious! ( I mean, Peachy Ginger or Toasted Caramel Sugar? How can you go wrong with those?)

One lucky commenter will receive a plug-in sized Scentsy of your choice in addition to 3 bars of wax (also of your choice) - a $25 dollar value! (Open for US and Canadian readers)

To Enter:

~ Just click on over to Jen's catalog and tell me about either a warmer or scent that appeals to you. (warmers are in the front. Scents start on page 28).

~ Place an order through my book party (Tracey's Blogging Book Party) to earn another chance to win!

~ Follow me on Twitter.

~ Tweet about this giveaway and link back.

~ Subscribe to my blog.

~ Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back.

~ If you live in the Eastern Iowa, Illinois or Western Indiana areas, you can even decide to set up your own presentation or book party to earn money towards free product of your own. Plus, you'd get ANOTHER chance to win this giveaway!



Lots of ways to enter, so good luck and we'll pick the winner on Friday, April 15th!