Thursday, January 31, 2013

FTSF~reality TV?

Welcome to FTSF#5!



When it comes to reality TV shows, I want to puke.  Obviously, I am not a huge fan.  It's not just the TV shows, it's the people "staring" in them that annoy me to a point of...I can't say it on my blog...I have a family-friendly blog.  

Not only is "reality TV" NOT actually reality, it's so unbelievably staged.  

People, people, people.  When you sign up to be on a reality show, remember this:
YOU NO LONGER ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR PRIVACY, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

You are not only signed up to be on this show, but for producers to call you until kingdom-dome to ask you to be on yet another one...and be mad when you say you won't.

Not only that, but you are signing up to have paparazzi follow you everywhere and take pictures of you doing EVERYTHING!  You no longer have the right to be upset when someone takes your picture {snorting coke, none the less} and sells it to highest bidder.  

You cannot be made when people gossip about you being pregnant when you just gained a little beer-belly {of which you shouldn't be drinking if you ARE pregnant}.

Your "secret" destination wedding options are no more.  Don't think your closest friend won't sell you out for a million dollars.

So, now that's I've crushed your hopes and dreams of becoming a "private" reality TV star,
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF REALITY TV?

Be sure to start your post with our prompt and link on up!

When it comes to reality TV shows, I...




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and don't forget next week, our sentence is:
The most-memorable Valentine's Day I ever had was...


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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

WW~it's a scary thought

While working on a photo challenge for Crowdtap, I was asked to take a photo of what I would look like if I could not have the use of my cellular phone.  Well, here's the picture (**warning...VERY scary):



Now, share with me, a link to a photo of what YOU would look like if you were told you couldn't use your cell phone.


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one kings lane

Looking for some new furniture pieces to liven up your humble abode? Look no further than the One Kings Lane Day of Furniture! Today through Thursday, 1/31, this event features pieces for every room and has great options for every design aesthetic. From Ottomans & Benches to Headboards & Beds, don't miss out on this opportunity to grab a great new piece for your home! 

And don't forget to sign up today for a $15 credit for purchases of $30 or more!


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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

TT~Meet Yolanda

Dawn’s Disaster

This is a great way for me to learn more about my bloggy friends and to help promote their blog.  So, once you're read their fantastic post, stop by their blog and leave them a note.  Tell 'em you stopped by from Dawn's Disaster :)  If you'd like to be a part of my Traveling Tuesdays, give me a holler or stop by my contact page.

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Hello there! I am so excited to be part of Traveling Tuesdays this week! Let me introduce myself...

I am Yolanda, the teen photographer and blogger behind Peanut Butter and Jelly. My little space in the blogosphere where I share my love for nature and random tidbits from my days.

Today I will be sharing some of my favorite photos and tips for nature photography.  I hope you enjoy!

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Take Lots Of Pictures

My biggest tip, is take a ton of pictures! If I take 100 pictures and only 50% turn out good, thats okay!. Whatever you are taking pictures of, take more then one.



If the scene is beautiful, the camera can't help taking a really good picture! Just make sure the whole picture isn't too busy.



Macros

When taking macros, make sure your lens is clean! Too many times I have not noticed that there is something on my lens and then my pictures turn out blurry or a little bit grubby looking.


Taking up close shots is one of my favorite things too do and I am so happy when they turn out well.



Lowlight

Consider using a tripod! This picture turns out pretty well considering I didn't use a tripod. But it was 6:30 in the morning after pulling an all-nighter so I didn't have the energy to take it out.


For the 4th of July I was still a newbie to photography and out of the 200+ pictures I took, not a whole lot of them turned out well. So next time I am going to be using my tripod!



Sunsets

Experiment! Get behind trees or other obstacles to create some cool shots.


With sunsets, silhouettes area favorite of mine. If you haven't tried doing silhouettes before, try it!




I hope you enjoyed! I would love for you to come visit my blog and say hello!













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Saturday, January 26, 2013

super sunday sync #20

Welcome to Super Sunday Sync #20!  Meet your Guest-Hosts, Helene and Rena!




Rules for the "Super-est" hop ever:
1)  Link up a family-friendly post (or your homepage if it will always be decent, please not to another hop) that you think is SUPER!
2)  GFC follow your hosts {Dawn and Kera}, guest hosts {Helene and Rena}.  We also appreciate (and return) any Facebook Likes, NetworkedBlog, email/RSS and Twitter Followers.  Be sure to leave a comment telling us how you follow, we'll follow you back on any and all of them!
3)  Visit the blog before you, and a few others {the more, the merrier} and follow them.  We're all looking to have more followers, that's why we're hopping, right?  Remember to leave a comment and we'll follow you back.
4)  Grab a button and put it somewhere people will see.  We'd love for this hop to really take off and be a weekly event!

Super Sunday Sync


If you are interested in Guest-hosting the SSS, please





Don't forget to Tweet!
 
 Enter a quick giveaway, for some ad space on my blog for February!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Thursday, January 24, 2013

guess what I'm co-hosting now...FTSF!!

Guess what, folks!  I'm a new Co-Host for Finish the Sentence Fridays!  I could not be more excited that Janine and Kate asked me.  Please grab a button, write up your post starting with our prompt sentence, and link up!  Don't forget to follow your hosts (Kate, Janine, Stephanie and ME).

Finish the Sentence Fridays


When I was younger I tried...to perm my hair.  Man was that dumb.  

I am Korean.  100% Korean.  My people's hair doesn't perm.  There are some Asians with curly hair, my brother is one of them.  Not me.  My hair is straighter than what-ever-you-think-is-the-straightest-thing-in-the-world.  I wanted a change, and my parents would not let me color my hair.  So, I came up with the plan to perm it.  My parents said ok.  Most likely because they knew it wouldn't work.  

I made my appointment and was all ready to go.  When I got there, the lady said, "are you sure you want to do this?"  My mom said yes and the lady said, "it's going to be a waste of money."  My mom told her it was a learning experience.  Why didn't the red flashing lights go off in my brain, telling me something was amiss.  Going to get your hair done shouldn't be considered a learning experience.  It should be fun.

So, and hour and a half later, I look at the finished product and was crushed.  I accused the lady of using the wrong thing to perm my hair.  I'd show you pictures, but there aren't any, and my hair was straight, so it wouldn't have looked any different anyhow.

Thanks for reading, now it's your turn to link up your post.  Remember to start with "When I was younger I tried..."


...and don't forget to come back next week!
When it comes to reality TV shows, I...






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99 cent cards, only thru 1/28/13


Having a hard time feeling creative for Valentine's day with the holidays hardly behind us?? Here's an easy, and ridiculously affordable solution to impress. But you got to act fast!

Snapily's personalized animated photo cards (also available in personalized 3D) retail for $3.99 plus shipping & handling. But today (through January 28th), with coupon codeVAL99, you can get them for ONLY 99 cents... to your door! These high quality photo cards are a geniunely unique way to share your message with loved ones.
How do the special effects on these cards work? The personalized animated cards allow you to view 2 photos in the space of a single photo. A simple flick of our wrist reveals one image after the other. This is a very useful and creative way to show off before / after, naughty / nice, young / older, etc... The personalized 3D photo cards frames a single photo in a design revealing depth... no glasses required.

Want to get more than one... or a birthday card, anniversary card, thank you card, etc?? No problem, just not in the same transaction. So time to get a Valentine for everyone on your list.. (up to 4). Be sure to use VAL99 at checkout. 



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*Sponsored by Snapily

 
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

you could give a blurb book for valentine's day

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, why not create a Blurb photo book filled with your favorite moments for that special someone. Instagram books and Facebook books are quick and easy to create and make the perfect little gift for the one you love. For more ideas and inspiration go to Blurb.com. And remember that from now through 2/14 you can save 20% on your entire book order with code MYBOOKLOVE.  Order before January 31 and you'll receive your book before the BIG day!


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*Sponsored by Blurb.com

 
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WW~My NOT Zoo Favorite



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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

TT~Meet Jaime!

Dawn’s Disaster

This is a great way for me to learn more about my bloggy friends and to help promote their blog.  So, once you're read their fantastic post, stop by their blog and leave them a note.  Tell 'em you stopped by from Dawn's Disaster :)  If you'd like to be a part of my Traveling Tuesdays, give me a holler or stop by my contact page.

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Hey y'all!!  I'm so happy to be here with Dawn for Traveling Tuesdays!!  First things first, I guess I should introduce myself!  I'm Jaime, the wife & momma behind Mom's Test Kitchen, my little space in the blogosphere where I share the recipes I make
for my family. I also sometimes like to branch outside of my kitchen and share
the fun little educational activities that I do with my
Princess P.
This pasta salad is absolutely delicious & so easy to throw together during the day for dinner that night! Only difference I would make is adding additional bacon right before serving because the bacon does lose some of its crispness in the fridge. It still is one of our new favorite pasta salads & I will definitely be making it again!
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 package (12 ounces)
    rotini pasta
  • 1 package (12 ounces)
    center cut bacon
  • 1/3 cup
    Italian dressing
  • 1/4 cup
    green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup
    spinach leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces)
    diced tomatoes, drained & rinsed
  • 1 bottle (16 ounces)
    creamy Italian dressing


LETS COOK:

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini pasta in the boiling water based on package directions, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite; drain.
  2. Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
  3. Wilt spinach in the skillet with the reserved bacon grease over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Toss cooked pasta with 1/3 cup Italian-style dressing in a large bowl; stir bacon, spinach, and green onions into coated pasta.
  5. Stir creamy Italian-style dressing, and tomatoes into pasta mixture. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
           
RECIPE INSPIRED BY: allrecipes
       
    If you like this recipe, I hope you'll stop by & check out some of my others! You can also stay up to date on my newest recipes by joining any of my social network communities!





        - - - - - - - - - - - -

      It's a 2-for-1 special today!  Check out my post over at Jamie's blog today!


       

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      Monday, January 21, 2013

      are you ready for a new look?


      Ready to update your look for the new year? Then it is time to catch the fever, as in the ModCloth Cabin Fever Sale. For a limited time you can get 70% off great styles from ModCloth during their annual Cabin Fever Sale. Supplies are limited so grab your favorites today before they are gone!


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      Save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase from 1/8 through 2/14 with code LOVEBOOKS

      Are You in College?

      Have you heard of CampusBookRentals?  Well, they have this fab-o collegiate book rental system.  Need a text book and don't want to pay $400.00 for it?  Try their rental program.  Save up to 90% by renting your textbooks!  CampusBookRentals offers free shipping both to your and for your return.  They offer flexible renting periods, so it will correlate with your semester/quarter schedule.  Live customer support.  You can even highlight in their book, like you own it!

      Check this out:
      I searched for a Laboratory book on their site.  It rents for $24.98.  It isn't due until May 15th.  I changed my due date to June 15th and the rental fee changed to $33.07 (not bad for an additional month).  Now, I found that book on another website and it was $95.55 to buy.  Why buy for three times as much?

      Now see how it works:

      What's even more fab-o about CampusBookRentals is that they donate to Operation Smile.  With EACH rental, they make a donation.  They also have a scholarship program to help other students and communities be more enriched.

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      **Sponsored by CampusBookRentals.com

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      Saturday, January 19, 2013

      Super Sunday Sync #19

      Welcome to Super Sunday Sync #19!  Meet your Guest-Hosts, Mia and Sel!



      Rules for the "Super-est" hop ever:
      1)  Link up a family-friendly post (or your homepage if it will always be decent, please not to another hop) that you think is SUPER!
      2)  GFC follow your hosts {Dawn and Kera}, guest hosts {Mia and Sel}.  We also appreciate (and return) any Facebook Likes, NetworkedBlog, email/RSS and Twitter Followers.  Be sure to leave a comment telling us how you follow, we'll follow you back on any and all of them!
      3)  Visit the blog before you, and a few others {the more, the merrier} and follow them.  We're all looking to have more followers, that's why we're hopping, right?  Remember to leave a comment and we'll follow you back.
      4)  Grab a button and put it somewhere people will see.  We'd love for this hop to really take off and be a weekly event!

      Super Sunday Sync


      If you are interested in Guest-hosting the SSS, please





      Don't forget to Tweet!



      ...and don't forget to enter the January Sponsor Giveaway at Dawn's Disaster, you get extra entries for  linking up today!

       
       

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      This months Fab-o Sponsors:

      Save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase from 1/8 through 2/14 with code LOVEBOOKS

      Save 15% Off Your Entire Purchase of $15.00 or more! Use SNOWDAY at checkout! Shop Now! This sale could end at any time!

      Thursday, January 17, 2013

      FTSF#3~The last time I went on vacation, I...

      Finish the Sentence Friday

      The last time I went on vacation, {I} went to Kentucky.  It was in 2011.  It was a 2-day road trip there, 3-dawn stay, and 2-day road trip with the Hubs, the Big One, Ms. Middle, my mom and my dad.  Yea, that was fun.

      Actually, it wasn't near as bad as most would think.  Yes, there were the ups and downs, but that's ok. It happens.  We started off by having my parents meet us at our house.  Ugh.  My mother is very organized, like, too organized at times.  Very Type-A.  She tried to deal with the fact and no one else in my family is quite as anal as her.  Not always (or even generally) successfully, but she does try.  We were packed, but the car wasn't packed.  So that started the trip out extra fun.

      The first day, we drove to Naperville, IL to stay the night with my cousins (not Kate) and drive the rest of the way to Kentucky {stopping at every Dairy Queen on the way~I'd say I gained a lot of weight on the trip, but since dairy and I don't get along, I probably actually LOST some} with them.  The Naperville fam has a pool.  Crisis 1.  It was flipping COLD for the middle of July.  I mean it was full-on summer and it felt like it was only 50 outside.  So, the Beanie Babies lost their minds because we told them they were NOT able to go swimming.  Then, they wouldn't eat and that was bad.  They need to eat or they turn into crazy people.  So they were crazy people for the rest of the night.  The Big One couldn't sleep because it wasn't her bed, then Ms. Middle needed to sleep with us because she was "tared of de black ky, in da doom".

      Morning comes, thankfully, and I'm asked if I would like to start the day out driving.  Somehow, I got out of it.  GREAT!  'Cuz I was tired from not sleeping that night.  I took a snooze the first 15 or so minutes of the trip when my dad yelps, "where's the money?  We need toll money and {his cousin} has one of those d@mn passes and he's going to leave us in the dust.  You know, he drives like 80 on the side streets, how are we going to catch him..." on and on and on until I say, "DAD!  I've got change, chill out."  "Ok" he says and does.  We get to the first toll and we give the guy the correct change and he says, "you could have gone to the lane where you just toss the coins in the bucket."  Really?  Hadn't thought of that, since that line was WAY smaller, but we didn't think we actually had exact change at the time we got into the long-@** line.

      On our way again, {his cousin} was calling to tell us that he was waiting for us two exits down, at the Dairy Queen.  He was mad, though, because it was closed.  Seriously?  It was only 8:30 in the morning.  Most people would assume Dairy Queen would be closed, right?

      Somehow, we made it through about 8 or so hours of driving and dad and I were in the car with the Beanie Babies again.  We were almost to our destination when the GPS told us to do something other than the written directions, which were different from the way my dad remembered going, which was different from what appeared the car in front of us was doing {the cousins...and my mom and husband}.  So, I demanded that we listen to the GPS.  Good thing.  Once we were on the "strange" road, my dad recognized it.  WAIT!  Where did the other car go?  Oh crap, they went straight.  Oh well, we think, they'll catch up.

      We drive a few exits and decide we need to call them.  They STILL hadn't turned and said they would figure it out.  We get to the destination.  They are not there.  We wait about 30 minutes, they are still not there.  Now, our cell phones don't work.  Not mine, not dad's, not my work phone ('cuz everyone brings those out of state while on vacation, just in case their work burns down, right?), not my aunts, not my grandma's...how would we get a hold of ANYONE if THIS place burned down while we were staying there?  Oh yea, land/LAN lines.  Remember those?

      Anyhow, we're about to use that land line, when the other car finally gets there.  The Hubs gets out and proclaims, "on the way home, I am NOT riding with them.  We got escorted by the State Police for 20 minutes."  I thought he was exaggerating.  He wasn't.  We're assuming that he was on his way home, but dude really drove in front of them about 20 minutes before waving them to take an exit...the RIGHT exit.

      ...and this was only in the first two days of the trip...

      On a side note, the Big One is 6 and this summer, she will attend her 7th annual {Dad's-side-of-the-} Family Reunion.  Since she was only 6 months old at her very first one, as long as she goes every year, she will have always gone to one more than her current age.


      ...and Kate, you totally could have written about your trip to my parents...I was going to, but it was uneventful for me (except seeing you, of course).  Just like going there usually is, except with more noise.

      So, how long has it been since you've been on vacation?

      ...and don't forget to enter the January Sponsor Giveaway at Dawn's Disaster
      !
       

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      Save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase from 1/8 through 2/14 with code LOVEBOOKS

      Household Labels

      Don't forget to enter the January Sponsor Giveaway!

      I know one of your New Year's resolutions to get organized, wasn't it? Well, you'll be thrilled to find out that Mabel's Labels has just launched their newly re-designed line of Household Labels! These labels are a must-have to help families get, and stay organized at home. Developed by professional organizers, these labels organize everything from storage bins, food containers and spice jars to craft supplies, electronics cords and trash cans. Be sure to check out all of Mabel's Labels great new products today! Happy Labeling! 
       
       
      **Sponsored by Mabel's Labels

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      Save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase from 1/8 through 2/14 with code LOVEBOOKS

      Save 15% Off Your Entire Purchase of $15.00 or more! Use SNOWDAY at checkout! Shop Now! This sale could end at any time!

      Wednesday, January 16, 2013

      Have You Been Thinking About Valentine's Day Yet?



      With Valentine's Day right around the corner, now is the time to shop for your special loved one.
      Layla Grayce is offering 15% off Valentine's Day gifts with promo code 15pink. Below are a few of my absolute favorite gift ideas. 

      The Kendra Scott Valencia Necklace in Pink Agate is stunning and would add a cheerful pop of color to any outfit. The Little Luxuries gift set features three of MOR's indulgent travel-size beauty products. The set includes a triple-milled shea butter soap and rich hand cream to nourish, hydrate and perfume. A sheer gloss lip silk completes this decadent trio creating an impressive gift for mom, a friend or yourself. The Love You Madly Art proves a simple statement can evoke instant emotion in any room. Don't miss your chance to shop this great sale and save 15% on all your Valentine's Day gifts!

       

       

      **Sponsored by Layla Grayce

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      This months Fab-o Sponsors:

      Save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase from 1/8 through 2/14 with code LOVEBOOKS

      Save 15% Off Your Entire Purchase of $15.00 or more! Use SNOWDAY at checkout! Shop Now! This sale could end at any time!