Lisa Leonard Jewelry: Necklace Review & $75 Giveaway
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Beauty, Gift Certificate, Gifts, Jewelry, Shopping on October 11, 2009
Giveaway has ended: Congratulations to the winner, Hope.
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I’m not extremely girly, and I’ve never been one to spend very much on jewelry, but I most certainly can appreciate a pretty trinket or two. I got very lucky recently: Lisa Leonard let me choose a piece from her collection to call my very own.
I have to admit to you that I had a very hard time choosing. I narrowed my selections down to this cute birdie necklace, because I think it’s timeless, beautiful, and it made me feel so peaceful when I saw it…
And this one, because, well… it says everything I know to be true that I do for my son. And every single one of those things is a cherished task for this woman. Those of you who know my personal site know that I joke and rant about the “perils” of motherhood. I tell you that sometimes this Mommy Gig seems like too much for me. And that’s true, sometimes it does seem like too much.
But there’s never a time when I’d actually give it up. There’s never a time when I’d want to stop being a hand holder, dream soother, or love giver. So this is the piece I asked for, and she even customized it to say “Mommy” instead of “Mama,” since Braden calls me the former most often.
When it arrived at my door, I felt special, even though I had chosen it for myself!
Look how it was packaged:
Simple and beautiful.
I’ve worn it traveling, running errands, and at home. The metal is sturdy, yet delicate and feminine. Holding the charm in your hand you feel the strength in the design, and at the same time, the soft chain that dangles from your fingers is dainty and fine – feminine.
I’ve had people remark about it, and I honestly feel at home with the cool pendant resting on the warm spot right above my chest. It sits above my heart, announcing what lies inside.
Now I need to figure out a way to get that birdie necklace for myself, too. Maybe Santa? 
I asked Lisa if she would be willing to give you guys a chance to win one of her lovely pieces, and she suggested that we giveaway a $75 Gift Code that can be used towards anything on the site! I’m so excited to host this giveaway – when you visit her website you will see how special these works are. *happy dancing*
To enter to win a $75 Gift Code from Lisa Leonard Designs , visit the website, find your favorite piece, and then leave me a comment below telling me what that is.
Comments will be accepted from 10:00 a.m. (CST) October 11, 2009 until 10:00 a.m. (CST) October 18, 2009. The winner will then be notified by email, and must respond to claim the necklace.
Please use a valid email address on the comment form.
Rules:
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on Facebook and leaving a link to your update in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link to your blog post in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to Residents of the US and Canada only.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• Once notified of having won, you have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Disclosure: This is an uncompensated review. I received the necklace for review, free of charge.
Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife: Book Review & Giveaway
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Book, Humor on October 6, 2009
Giveaway has ended: Congratulations to the winner, Martha Foster.
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Anyone who tells you their marriage is *perfect* is either still on their honeymoon, lying, or is stark raving mad. (Or drunk, oh so drunk.)
If you’re years (or even months) in, you know that all is not of fairy tales and dreams. Hey, marriage takes work (and that rat bastard rarely does his share of it, freaking good for nothing… oh! I digress!) and any woman today knows that there are bumps and humps and lumps. And other umps.
This is not to say that we don’t love our husbands, or that we don’t want to have a happy home.
But hell, we KNOW there are stinky moments.
Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife by Nava Atlas is a parody of a recipe book that will make you laugh at any and all of these types of moments. You’ll find “recipe” after recipe that makes you nod along and belly laugh in understanding. (And I pray not too many of them will have you crying with woe, but that’s another topic entirely.)
I read a few of these “recipes” out loud to my husband. He fidgeted a little while I laughed my butt off. A couple of times I think I stressed a few words to much, and raised my eyebrow a little too hard. I may have actually pierced him with a few hard glares. I can’t remember if I actually shook the book at him or not. But I definitely laughed out loud. Long and hard. (After I wept a little.)
Then he quietly backed out of the room. Not sure why.
Some examples of “recipes” in the book:
- Beans ‘N’ Weenies of Sexual Tension
- Midlife Stress-Stuffed Cabbage
- Control-Freak Cookies
About the author, from the back cover of the book:
“Nava Atlas is an artist and author who is best known for her bestselling vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including the classic Vegetariana. She lives in the Hudson Valley Region of New York with her husband and two sons. You can visit her website at NavaAtlas.com.”
Want to grab a free copy, signed by Nava Atlas herself, and chuckle through it like I did?
To enter to win a free copy of Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife, leave me a comment below.
Comments will be accepted from 4:00 p.m. (CST) October 6, 2009 until 4:00 p.m. (CST) October 10, 2009. The winner will then be notified by email, and must respond to claim the book.
Please use a valid email address on the comment form.
Rules:
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents only.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Disclosure: This is an uncompensated review. I received the book for review, free of charge.
Lee National Denim Day
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Causes, Clothes on June 16, 2009
I am proud to be a Lee Fit Ambassador – this means I test Lee products and I am able to pass on what I think to others (like you guys!) which is pretty cool. Eventually, I’ll even be hosting a giveaway here so you guys have a chance to win something cool. I’ve always liked wearing Lee Jeans – they’re generally comfortable as well as stylish and the selection is varied enough that anyone can find something they like.
Recently, they’ve designed a whole new system to help women find their perfect fit (the “fit finder,” whic you can see at Lee.com), and I love that, because we all know that finding the perfect pair of jeans/pants can sometimes be a pain. Though when you do, it’s like a love affair of sorts.
What I didn’t realize until recently is that Lee does great work and supports a fabulous cause that touches my heart.
Lee National Denim Day is a grassroots campaign that helps raise money for breast cancer research. I do not have breast cancer; this has not touched my immediate family. But it could, at any time. And I know that many of you have been touched by breast cancer, either yourselves, or through a family member or friend.
I watched this video, and it tugged. So I wanted to share it, and the idea of Denim Day (October 2, 2009), with all of you.
(Had to remove the video b/c it autoplayed every time the site was loaded.)
Disclosure: This is an uncompensated review. I work with Lee as a Fit Ambassador and periodically receive a pair of pants (something new that they have launched) for review and/or giveaway, if I choose, free of charge. So far I have received 2 pair of pants.
Win a $50 Gift Card to Snapfish, fun and easy Father’s Day gifts await!
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Gift Certificate, Gifts, Holiday, Photography on May 11, 2009
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Snapfish.
It’s no secret that I love taking photographs. It is rare that a day goes by without me utilizing my camera. Photographs are important for so many reasons – they help you reflect, notice the world around you, and often most importantly, they help you capture memories to relive later.
Because photographs can encapsulate a moment in time, viewing them later can elicit strong emotions. It is for this reason that adding photos to gifts adds such great value to them.
I recently created several photo gifts using Snapfish.com, and it was my first time trying out the services of that website.
The site is fairly easy to navigate. I only got hung up a couple of times when I was looking through links to find something specific. And let’s face it: with a toddler screaming in your ear off and on again about such things as “Pee-Pee, uh-oh!” and “THOMAS, WATCH THOMAS!” it’s kind of hard to concentrate anyway, so it may have been more my issue than the website.
For about $50 (including tax & shipping) I was able to purchase 5 photo cards, 2 photo magnets, and an absolutely adorable photo collage mousepad. In one fell swoop I almost entirely covered both Mother’s Day AND Father’s Day for my husband, father, mother, mother-in-law and father-in-law.
Now THAT is what I call SUPER FREAKIN’ AWESOME.
Creating my custom photo collage mousepad was easy and fun!
The products arrived very quickly, and everything is really beautiful. The cards arrived packaged carefully, and all the photos and printing are crisp and great looking. I adore the fact that I was able to have return addresses pre-printed on the envelopes – it looks really lovely.
The photo magnets are so amazing – this is the perfect way to add photos to your kitchen without the hassle of frames. Just slap the magnet on the fridge! My mother and mother-in-law are going to love them.
And the mousepad? Well, it’s for my dad, and for one evil second I thought I might have to keep it for myself! What a super cool gift. Personalize it with whatever is special to the person you’re gifting, and it’s an immediate win.
There are plenty of options at the site for fabulous Father’s Day gifts. Remember that it’s coming up on June 21st! Order by June 13th to get your gifts delivered on time.
Desk Organizer
Playing Cards
Golf Towel
Frosted Stein
Collage Mousepad
Apron
Square Key Chain
Photo Panels
Collage Posters
Books of any size 8×8, 8×11, leather or custom covers
And don’t forget the cards! Lots of designs are available, so you’re sure to find something just right for the guy you have in mind. And creating them is a lot of fun.
To get you started off right, you have a chance to win a $50 Gift Card to Snapfish here!
To enter, leave me a comment below and share what the most important father(s) in your life mean(s) to you – or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) May 11, 2009 and ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) June 13, 2009.
Please use a valid email address on the comment form.
Rules:
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents only, age 18 or older.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
And you have 57 chances to win! Head over to the BlogHer.com review/giveaweay round-up page and check out all your other chances to snag this awesome prize. 
Disclosure: This is a compensated review. I received a $50 gift card to order prodcuts from Snapfish for review of said products and the ordering experience, free of charge.
Main Blog: i am lotus- Yeah, that’s my horn you’re hearing.
- Weekly Winners, Jan 31 – Feb 6
- our regularly scheduled program will return after this brief period of bliss
- And then, all the other parents in the play area turned and gave me *that* look.
- digital parenting. yes, it means more than just tweeting all day while your kid is locked in the closet. at least that’s what i’ve been told. (pffffft)
