pensieve.me

Bored? Game!Bloggy Giveaway, #4

Today's giveaway is sponsored by Kelly at Pass the Torch, author of the soon-to-be-released "Empowering Youth--How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things".

Valued at $49.95, Career Expedition is characterized as an "educational interactive board game.  PERFECT for a classroom setting, a wonderful resource for homeschooling families, this is a game geared toward middle and high school students. 

Career Expedition is designed to get kids thinking and talking about their future.  Seldom have I seen a FUN resource that accomplishes that!  Usually, career discussion doesn't come until college, and I like that through this game, parents, educators or youth workers have reason to begin the conversation early.

To win this SMART giveaway, simply follow any of the links to Kelly's site, look around, and comment here something new you learned; it can be about her personal blog or anything related to Empowering Youth.  If you're inclined, tell her Robin at Pensieve sent you--I'd love for her to "see" her sponsorship at work!! :) (Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only.)

Please be sure and check out all my giveaways for the week--HUNDREDS of dollars are up for grabs!  Commenting is open through midnight on Sunday, giveaways to be announced by midnight on Monday!

:) 

Brevity is...

not my strong suit.

Ya think?

Out of necessity, sometimes I can swing it.

Please be sure and check out Blog Nosh on Thursday (it really should be one of your daily reads:) ); one of our regular contributors to Pensieve's Poetic License, Inheritor of Heaven (Once Dead, Now Alive), will be featured on my Editor Channel, Religion/Philosophy. 

• Out of pocket for a few days.
• Thanks if you've been entering my giveaways.
• Two more to come--one Thursday, one Friday.
• You can enter EVERY giveaway through Sunday at midnight.
• Winners posted Monday by midnight.
• MERCI BEAUCOODLES if you're a new subscriber!!
• Friday's 40-or-less Photo Challenge on hiatus 'til next week (see first bullet point)

I can't wait to get back to "normal" blogging. 

Cookin' up a little somethin' special...!Bloggy Giveaway #3, and it's a GREAT one, y'all!

It's no secret I'm so tight with The Lady and Sons they're probably gonna call me later today to invite me for Sunday dinner.   The mere thought of anything whipped up by Paula, Jamie and Bobby Deen has me sloppy-droolin' like a baby cutting molars.

I know what I'm talkin' about--earlier this summer we enjoyed dinner at The Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah. Though the Deens were traveling elsewhere, we weren't disappointed; Phil and his lovely bride, Julie, took good care of us. 

For those of you newer to PENSIEVE, Phil-the-webmaster discovered my blog when I was making up stories about Paula a while back and it was fast friendship from the get-go. 

(You can thank HIM for the wonderful giveaways I'll tell ya about in a few!!)

If you'd like a true taste of the South, you must visit The Lady and Sons!  Dinner starts with complimentary hoe cakes and biscuits--if you aren't careful, you could make a meal of those!

It was a difficult choice, but in the end, we opted for the buffet rather than ordering from the menu--it was a feast for the eyes...the nose..the TONGUE !  Mountains of fried chicken, a shrimp boil that made me long for the low country, country fried steak and gravy (so worth the heart attack), and the sides and veggies?  DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THOSE!  Creamed corn, butter beans, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, perfectly mashed potatoes...it's a blessing we don't live closer 'cause just TALKIN' ABOUT THIS made me gain five pounds--the button just popped off my shorts!

I couldn't wait for today's Bloggy Giveaway--not only is it a chance for me to share my love and affection for all things PaulaDeenY'all, it's my most expensive offering of the week--over $100 from PaulaDeen.com.  Let's get to it:

The giveaways ~

$50 Paula Deen Giftcard
Country Cookbook Set (RV:  $32.90)
Paula's Seasoning Set--nothin' says DE-licious like Silly Salt and Butt Massage! (RV:  $29.90)

Y'all, these are such FABULOUS GIVEAWAYS, be sure to follow the simple entry requirements to be eligible ~

• All you have to do is visit Jamie's blog, READ, then COMMENT to any of his posts telling him you came because of Robin @ PENSIEVE, and in your own words "encourage" him to check out my blog.

OR

• Look around pauladeen.com and end by commenting on her contact page that you appreciate today's giveaways at PENSIEVE.  Feel free to tell her how much you adore my blog and she really should be reading...I'm just sayin'.

Optional:

• If you're on twitter or plurk, mention today's giveaway with a link back to this post (follow me on twitter @pensieverocks)

• If you're writing about Bloggy Giveaways, mention this giveaway in your post. 

THEN, let me know in comments which of these you've done; people who do more than one thing earn additional entries :) (do all four?  4X the chance of winning).

Last thing, I'm on the fence as to whether or not to award one BIG giveaway or divide this into three giveaways so more people can win.  If you have an opinion, please vote...you'll find out my decision by Monday at midnight when I post winners of my giveaways :) (NOT required for giveaway eligibility...just a fun thing!).

Don't cry over spilled...

f l o u r.

My kitchen/pantry floor, this afternoon.  The largest in a set of four cannisters, filled just last night with five pounds of unbleached, all-purpose Gold Medal.  A wedding shower gift from my mother-in-law over 20 years ago; I loved this set, hand-painted by an artisan in Portugal.
A teensy piece of my heart shattered with it. 

Did you read the love-fest I wrote yesterday about my children?  For an hour this afternoon...let's just say I wasn't feelin' the love.  The flour disaster was just the beginning--story to follow....

If you're here for WW and would like to enter my giveaway drawings, please check out the list of daily prizes (advance notice:  Wednesday's $100+ giveaway comes courtesy of Paula Deen--make sure to check back for details!).

Wordless Wednesday
More WW with 5M4M

On being green AND politically incorrect

When you're a fly on the wall of my kitchen, this is the kind of thing you might overhear:

Conversation #1:

Sitting at the kitchen table the other night, my 11-year-old and I were playing gin and he was decidedly spanking my behind in the process.  Because he was feeling rather high and mighty, I knew his guard was down; I seized the opportunity to ask him some personal questions. 

Amazing how candidly and honestly he answered.

One of the most unexpected responses was when I was fishing for a compliment:  I asked him what he liked "best" about me as his mom (compared to his friend's moms).   NOT that I was nicer or smarter or prettier.  NOT that I was more fun or a better cook or a smokin' laundress.  NOT that I was more godly or more creative or more A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.  Nooooo, none of that! 

What he liked best about me compared to others?

That I re-cycle.

I was dumbfounded; it was a quick lesson in not presuming to know what your kids are thinking.  It was also great opportunity for me to explain my motive in recycling (environmental concern and our responsibility to steward well our corner of Creation). 

Interestingly, when I shared this conversation with my daughter, I asked her what she thought Stephen had answered.   She immediately responded, "Recycling" and I said, "HOW DID YOU KNOW HE'D SAY THAT?" and she admitted she's glad I/we do that, too.

GREAT motivation for me when I'd like to take the easy path and just trash everything.  It matters...and not just to me!

Conversation #2:

I've got a stack of unwatched DVDs sitting on the counter and Rachel was flipping through them, reading the covers. 

Rachel (looking at "Vantage Point"):   "Sigourney Weaver...she's always scared me a little."

Me (with image of an alien exploding out of John Hurt's chest):  "I've always thought she looked kinda like a gorilla."

Rachel (again, looking at the DVD cover):  "Yeah...I see 'ape'."

(Ok, ok, I feel kinda bad about dissing Sigourney.  Maybe the association stems merely from her living with gorillas or something...you know, the way owners begin looking like their pets over time.)

S o m e o n e  needs to host a TV show featuring kids sayin' the darndest things.  I'm rather certain it'd be a raging success ;).

Bloggy Giveaways, Day 2

Today's giveaway will have THREE winners!  Please be sure to read this entire post so your entry will be counted :).

If you're a scrapbooker and/or make hand-made, stamped notecards, this is a FABULOUS giveaway (otherwise, skip down to Door #2)~

 

Stampin' Up prize pack, Retail Value:  $50.  Includes two Stampin' pads (Basic Black and Certainly Celery), Simply Scrappin' set (Friends & Flowers), Friendship Blooms Stamp Set and Stampin' techniques.  (Restricted to U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses.)

No interest in "Art Therapy" by making cards?  Hungry?  How 'bout a Burger King gift card?  TWO lucky winners will each win a $10 gift card.

To register for the Stampin' Up prize pack:

Visit my friend-and-Stampin' Up-MASTER, Paige's, website by clicking HERE.  Take a look around, and either register for her newsletter, contact her to thank her for offering this prize pack, or look at her creative projects and choose a favorite.   Then, come back to this page, comment here and let me know "what" you did/which project you like best.

To register for one of the $10 Burger King gift cards, simply read my review of their new apple fries, then come back to this post and comment your thoughts in response.

Additional details:

Please check back daily for more GREAT prizes (including >$100 in giveaways from Paula Deen, a $50 Career Expedition Game from Empowering Youth and your choice of books).  You may register for current and previously-posted giveaways through Sunday at midnight; drawings will be announced by Monday at midnight.  Click here for master list of giveaways. 

Thanks to Chilihead for hosting Bloggy Giveaways--bet she's worn!out!!

Time: another four-letter word

Time is a fickle creature and sometimes I don't like her one...little...bit.

She toys and she taunts at her leisure and her pace is hardly fair--she creeps along at a slug's pace when A Big Day approaches, but in the lives of my children she accelerates into the speed of blur.

Once, when I turned my back, my daughter went from losing her first tooth to having her braces removed.  Another time, I blinked and my son wasn't pushing a Little Tykes lawnmower trailing his daddy, he was mowing two acres by himself. 

No longer do I have to wipe noses or behinds, brush hair or brush teeth, dress or undress them...and I can't remember the last time someone asked me to kiss a boo-boo. 

I think I miss boo-boo kisses the most. 

My oldest was at camp last week and it hit me she's a high school sophomore; that means we've got her at home just three more years.  Though I have no aspirations to be her friend yet--when my children were younger and I did or demanded something of them they didn't like, they'd try to  "threaten" me with "I won't be your friend", to which I'd always respond, "I'm not your friend, I'm your M-O-T-H-E-R"--I like her and enjoy her company.

For that, I am thankful.

Saturday night when she got home, we talked two hours straight; the conversation felt...grown up.  I sat there and studied her while she spoke.  There was something different about her.  Assurance?  Confidence?  Maturity?  Or is it ME?  Am I the one who's different?

I'm never prepared when I see my children in new light. 

Don't be mistaken--it's not always like this.  There are times I'm ready for them to be up and out.  Sometimes I think their goal is to fray every last nerve in my 40-something body!  Thankfully, those moments are fleeting.

Mostly, these moments of introspection remind me to love my babies fiercely and freely--with open hand, not a tightly clenched fist...to allow them the space to "become" and help guide them in that process...to remember the thought that always pierces my heart:  "we're raising them for someone else, not ourselves"...that their move towards increasing independence is a move in the RIGHT direction.

When I watch friends with younger children juggling diaper bags, struggling with a demanding life, and wishing away that season, I want to tell them to savor the "here and now"; soon that season will be over, much more quickly than they realize.  But they wouldn't understand...not yet, anyway.  There are some things you've got to live, to experience yourself, to comprehend completely.

Time might not be on my side, but I'm thankful for the reminders to make the most of it.

Feelin' lucky? Giveaways galore All!Week!Long!

I couldn't be more excited about this edition of Bloggy Giveaways because of the quantity, quality and value up for grabs this week at PENSIEVE.  Thank you for including me in your blog visits and I hope you'll come back daily to register for each prize.

Giveaway schedule:

Note based on comments this morning:  If you comment to this post, you're eligible to receive MONDAY'S GIVEAWAY ONLY :).  If you like the sound of the other stash, you'll have to comment on that day's post :).  Thanks, y'all...sorry if it was confusing otherwise!

Monday:  Stampin' Up Notecard set for the gals (retail value:  priceless, 'cause they're stinkin' adorable individual works of art) or for the guys, a men's Chaps polo shirt (retail value $45)  ** Details for today's entry below.

Tuesday:  Two prizes (yes, two different winners)

Stampin' Up Prize Pack (Retail value: $50).  Did you see the cards from yesterday?  You'll be able to make your own with this FABULOUS prize pack!

and

Burger King Gift Card (Retail value:  $10)  Remember, you can actually buy health food there now!

Wednesday:  Paula Deen Prize Pack (Retail value:  >$100!  Phil emailed the 4-1-1 and it IS good, y'all!!   $$$ I don't know yet, but Phil dropped it in the mail Friday and all he cryptically told me?  "It's all nice stuff..."). 

Thursday:  Career Expeditions Board Game (Retail value $49.95).  Sponsored by "Empowering Youth".  Kelly, author of Pass the Torch, pioneered this educational game geared towards middle and high school students.  Geared toward the classroom and a wonderful resource for homeschoolers, this is a FUN game to play; in the process, it really gets your children thinking about their future!

Friday:  Book of your choice.  So well sought-after during each carnival, I'll be doing this again.  Eighteen titles from which to choose, including Picoult, Grisham, Sparks, Patterson, Piper and Rivers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Monday's giveaway gives you a "his" or "her" choice; random, yes, but I'm all about giving you options :)  ~~~

Choose a set of Stampin' Up notecards, including designs like these (click the photo for even more designs!)~

Or instead if your number is drawn, you may choose to win this men's Chaps polo shirt (size large, click the picture to see close up of price tag to verify $45 value)~

To win one of these giveaways, here's all you need to do:

• Because I want to make sure to gain a few new subscribers you remember to come back daily to register for ALL my giveaways, would you  a) add me to your reader, b) add Pensieve to your blogroll, c) sign up to receive Pensieve via email (enter your email address in the box on my left sidebar), and/or d) post or tweet about my daily giveaways.

• Leave a comment to let me know a) which prize you'd like if your number is drawn and b) which of the above you did.

• Open to bloggers and non-bloggers, internationals welcome.

• You may enter today's giveaway (and ALL my giveaways) through Sunday at midnight; drawings to be announced Monday by midnight.
  

If you're already subscribed to Pensieve (or receive it via email), CYBER SMOOCHES TO YOU!! 

Thanks again, y'all...Check out Tuesday's giveaway, too!

Head's up, y'all

Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. CST, Bloggy Giveaway's quarterly thingamajig goes live.  Just to let you know:  I have hundreds of dollars in giveaways.

If you like that kinda thing ;).

Power of Persuasion, revisited

{Originally posted on my Blogger blog}

You are a person of influence.

YOU...ARE....you just are!

Whether or not you realize it or believe it to be true.

There will be times you recognize your influence, perhaps most visibly in your children, if you're a parent. Other places that "scream" influence are in the workplace (which for some, I guess, is in the home, too).

However, I'm convinced the ripple effect of your actions is more influencial than you (or I) will ever realize in this life. Not just in the big things, but in the small.

When Erin was here for a visit with her family, she helped me cook dinner. One of her "jobs" was shucking corn, something I've done a thousand times. She heated it in the microwave first, and the silks practically jumped off the cob......much easier than without nuking them. I do it every time we have fresh corn now (and think of her...and smile).

When I was at the beach trolling a bookstore for a good summer read, a COMPLETE STRANGER recommended a book she LOVED.  Her enthusiasm was compelling; I bought and consumed the book in two days. She, in turn, bought one I suggested as perfect for beach reading. Amazing to me that both of us would be motivated by someone we didn't know, as if each other's opinions were somehow similar to our own. We were willing to bank on a complete stranger! (For the record, I enjoyed the book despite its somber content, and was amused to see this author "all over the place"--when before I had never noticed her. I hope my "friend" at the book store enjoyed her purchase as much as I did mine).

Isabel was here for a visit recently and her lips looked BEAUTIFUL! I am much too lazy to wear lipstick regularly, but hmmm, Tad notices when I do ;), so maybe I should reconsider that. Anyway, I asked Izzy "what she did" to get that look. Dang it! It cost me, lol. First, the lip brush--coolest one I've ever seen! The brush retracts into the handle, no lid necessary (so the bristles don't get scrunched and displaced when you put the top on). The second step (after applying your favorite lipstick, which I guess is actually the second step, so this will be the third, but then again, who's counting besides me?) is careful application of lip glass. Now I realize this sounds like a pain in the butt for lipstick-wearing neophytes, but I'm telling you, ya want sexy lips? It's more than worth the effort :D. I figured this was a kind of investment that had a n i c e return ;).

I've written about this before, back when I was an invisible blogger (lol). Once again, it causes me to consider how I'm influencing others. I've seen places where I'm a "tone setter", and sometimes I KNOW I've been a (gulp) less than stellar influence, where I've initiated a sequence of events that didn't have the most favorable outcome (now THAT'S a way to sugar coat stupidity!). Instead, this has become both a challenge and prayer for me (my emphasis added):

"...let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly

to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together,

as some are in the habit of doing,

but let us encourage one another..."

Hebrews 10:22~25