ABC Neckties Review & Giveaway 3/31 WINNER CLOSED

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

JENNIFER H!

An e-mail has been sent and she has 48 hours to respond.

Winner chosen by random.org.

Thanks to all those who entered!

Neckties can really make or break a look and I know this personally because the last time my husband I had to dress up, he put on his 1980's duck tie. I was mortified and realized at this point, the man needed a fashion upgrade and fast.  I guess some men still might where their duck ties so no offense intended (smile) but for the look he was trying to achieve, that wasn't going to be it!

I had never heard of ABC Neckties until just recently and found they offer a great selection of affordable men's novelty and fashion ties since 2000.  When I shop, which I prefer to shop online, I like a well laid out site and ABC Neckties is one of them.  Having the ability to search by style (big and tall, bow ties, silk ties, etc), novelty (animal print, armed forces, food, etc) and color is a nice feature to expedite your shopping experience.  If you aren't quite sure which one to select, you can always browse the best seller selection.  Sometimes I browse those areas just to get an idea on what might be in style.

When I saw this type, I thought it would be perfect for a doctor because what kid doesn't like Snoopy?  I find I gravitate towards medical professionals who appear to reach out to children.  They even have great sports ties like the Indianapolis Colts!  Too bad my husband is a Cowboy's fan (which they carry too).  ABC Neckties literally has every type of tie you could ever want and makes elegant yet not expensive gifts.

The Review:

I chose the Baker Silk Fashion Tie.  It's a great value at $18.66 and is 100% silk with the Bocara label.  The very fashionable, hand-made tie is of high quality and looks fantastic on my husband!  What you might not know about ABC Neckties is they have a money back guarantee, 100% secure ordering online and right now, there is a 15% sitewide sale with free shipping!

Father's Day won't be too far off or what dad can't use a new tie for Easter?  I would definitely recommend ABC Neckties and I just might have to get the Army tie for my husband from the girls on Father's Day!

The Giveaway:

A $25 gift certificate to ABC Neckties.

To Enter:

Follow my blog and tell me which necktie you would buy from ABC Neckties.

Extra Entries (each entry is work two extra entries unless otherwise noted):

• Subscribe to my blog.
• Follow ABC Neckties on Twitter.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Become a fan of ABC Neckties on Facebook.
• Blog about this giveaway - five entries
• Tweet about this giveaway (can be done daily)
• Enter any of my other giveaways - five entries

Winner will be selected by random.org and giveaway ends 3/31 at midnight (EST).


*Disclosure:  I was provided a complimentary tie from ABC Necktie in exchange for my review and a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are of my own and I received no financial compensation.
 

Three Great Giveaways Ending 3/10 at Midnight: EA More Workouts, Jenny McCarthy Your Shape & FaBOWlous

You don't want to miss these great giveaways ending tonight (3/10).  If you want to stay in shape or lose weight, these two Wii games are ideal for doing it! They are fun, keep you motivated and really do challenge you. 

FaBOWlous has beautiful hair bows, hats with bows and so much more.  They also donate proceeds to worthy causes such as Layla Grace. Little Layla passed away 'to play with the angels' yesterday.  It's a very touching, tearful story of a vibrant little two year old who succumbed to cancer.  Reading the updates always makes me cry and reminds me of what is important in life.

YouthfulTips Your Shape Jenny McCarthy Wii Game Giveaway 3/10
YouthfulTips EA Active More Workouts Giveaway 3/10
YouthfulTips Simply FaBOWlous Headband for Kids Giveaway 3/10

Spring Accessories for Your Child's Glasses: Ficklets

My last post focused on Easter dresses and this one is dedicated to the little cuties who wear glasses.  Thanks to www.Ficklets.com, your child can choose inexpensive eye charm huggers to adorn their plain glasses.  These cute Ficklets will allow your child to show a little personality while jazzing up their glasses just in time for spring.

Cute butterflies, dainty lady bugs, sunflowers and more will give your little girl's glasses a boost in enjoying their glasses more.  I wished these were available when I was a kid.  The great thing about Ficklets is there are options for boys in a sports theme such as soccer balls, basketballs and more.

I like them so much that I ordered some for my niece who loves them and even have a couple for me.

If you want to add a little bling to your glasses or personality to your little one's glasses, check out www.ficklets.com for great looking, high quality eye wear charm huggers that are inexpensive and fun.

Easter Fashions, Baby Shower Products & Toys at AdorableBabyClothing.com

I love any excuse to buy pretty dresses for my two younger girls not to mention more opportunities to take pictures!  I have to cherish these moments while I can since we are only blessed a short time when they are young.  When it comes to special occasion dresses, I look no further than AdorableBabyClothing due to the great selection of gorgeous clothes and the ability to select dresses in two varying sizes such as 4T and 8 in girls.

I've tried in the past to go to the mall and spent hours searching for two identical dresses in the two sizes to no avail.  I love the fact that I can find what I need at http://adorablebabyclothing.com/.  The dress I chose is above and it's a lovely Lilac and Purple Butterfly Embellished Taffeta dress.  I cannot wait to see them on the girls.

With my oldest getting ready to have her own child, there is a great selection of baby items and baby shower products such as invitations, favors and much more.  The "Baby is Blooming" seed favor packets are one of my favorites so I'll have fun planning her shower.

Another relatively new feature at AdorableBabyClothing are toys!  I'm not talking a few toys but MANY toys with such a variety that any child would be happy.  My middle one loves horses and there are so many great horse toys to choose from to include Melissa and Doug toys.

I am a repeat customer of AdorableBabyClothing and wanted to share this store with you not only because of my great experiences of receiving beautiful, high quality clothes but the owner is exceptional and provides first rate customer service.  No matter what your need, clothing for every day wear, special occasions, school uniforms, personalized products to baby gifts, toys and more, AdorableBabyClothing has it all.

Great Savings at Kroger and $25 Gift Card Giveaway 3/09: CLOSED Winner

Congratulations to....

Ann!

She has been contacted via e-mail and has 48 hours to respond.  If she doesn't respond, the next winner will be chosen via random.org.

Thanks for entering!

Everyone wants to save money especially now and thanks to Kroger and the Kroger Family of Stores, they are promoting the Cart Buster Savings Event.  At Kroger, prices are so low you can stop on all your favorite brands without going broke.

Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills provided a complimentary $25 Kroger Gift Card so I could test out how much I could buy and I was extremely happy compared to what I normally spend at one of their competitors.  MyBlogSpark provided this great opportunity to share the information to my readers and one of you will receive your own $25 Kroger card too!

Hurry as you only have until March 14th as the Cart Buster Savings Event with the hottest prices around on your favorite name-brand products in over 60 categories at the Kroger Family of Stores, which includes Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy ends!

Here are just a few of the great brands participating in the event: Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Yoplait, Progresso, Totino’s, Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Tide, Charmin, Bounty, Pampers, Pantene, Crest, Iams, Febreze, Old Spice and many more!

Want a chance to win?

It's easy, just tell me what you would stock up on if you won the $25 gift card.

I just received the card so this is going to be a quick giveaway with it ending tonight at midnight!

Zoo Babies by Accord Publishing Book Review

Books are such a wonderful tool for teaching children and every now and then, you can find a book that not only teaches but thoroughly entertains.  aMomEntrepreneur gave me the opportunity to receive and review a complimentary copy of Zoo Babies by Accord Publishing.  What makes this book unique is it's a mini animotion book.  Each page provides an animotion of the animal as the page turns!  It's almost like a mini TV in the book.

Product Details:

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
• Hardcover: 12 pages
• Publisher: Accord Publishing, a division of Andrews McMeel (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740792016
• ISBN-13: 978-0740792014
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches

My girls fought over the book at first as they love the animotion feature, they love zoos and they love baby animals so who can blame them?  The book is very appealing because it's small for little hands to hold and turn pages without effort.  The illustrations are bright and vibrant and we know kids love that.  The words are simple so my kindergartener can read to her sister and that creates a double bonus.

It's 12 pages full of delightful fun animals like zebras running, lions pouncing and more.  It allows the children to learn a little about what these animals do while enjoying the fun animotion as if they are really moving.  I highly recommend this book if you have little ones as it's enjoyable, easy to read and entertaining.

It's even available via Amazon:

A Very Special Heart: Lifesaving Medical Information You Carry

As a mother of two children with chronic medical conditions, I keep two binders complete with medical copies of their hospitalizations and anything pertinent from a doctor.  I quickly learned to gather this information when my youngest was taken over two hours away to a hospital in Savannah.  The doctors wanted to know her background and although my memory is pretty good, I wasn't able to remember all details with accuracy and after that, I started these folders to be able to hand to a doctor at an ER, a routine visit or a hospitalization to ensure accuracy.  I found that accuracy matters especially for doctors who are not familiar with your history.  Being able to provide a quick and easy way for detailed information can make the difference between life and death.

When I first read about A Very Special Heart, I was extremely interested in being able to wear this beautiful silver heart shaped necklace (or a globe) around my neck to have this vital, life saving information no matter where I am at.  I received A Very Special Heart which offers a choice to wear around the neck or as a key chain for added versatility.  It has a large clasp which would be good for older people who might have finger dexterity issues and the chain is sturdy yet attractive.

Review of the Package:

Once I opened the very nice box it arrived in, I found the heart was encased in a velvet, heart shaped box adding to the luxury of its presentation.  The heart's bottom comes up to reveal the USB port to plug into your computer and a hidden compartment for emergency medication. The software to activate it is easy to follow and upon entering the activation code and contact information, you are ready to go.  I liked the easy activation steps which allows a greater ease for those that are not as computer literate but are able to perform basic functionality.

Medical Information Set Up Review:

Entering your information into A Very Special Heart is similar to completing your medical forms at a doctor's office for the first time.  You can add prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, allergies, medical conditions, dates of hospitalizations, dates of vaccinations, names and contacts for your doctors, details of persons you want contacted in event of an emergency, health insurance information and Medicare/Medigap information.

The use of drop down menus helps to easily enter information that is routine thus cutting down on time necessary to complete applicable information.  Another key piece of information is language spoke.  For a patient that is unable to communicate, this will allow for the hospital to obtain a translator for when the patient wakes.  The information collected would also be ideal for a missing person's report as items such as height, weight, birthmarks and more are stored.

If something doesn't apply, when you check "continue," it will validate that you do not have that condition or the question is not applicable thus adding accuracy to your records.  You can also add your picture to your record to ensure they have the correct information for the patient.  As part of the A Very Special Heart service, you can receive valuable up-to-date health information on your medical conditions, allergies and drugs.

Not only is A Very Special Heart innovative and vital to your health or a loved one's health, it also allows you to add more than one person which is ideal for my family since we have two children.  You can also add vital records by scanning documents in such as actual medical records, patient consents, x-rays, social security cards, passport information and more.

Pending on how you want to store your documents, public or private, you can control who has access by utilizing your master password.  This provides extra piece of mind in case you misplace it or lose it.

Final Review:

I highly recommend A Very Special Heart if you or a loved one has a medical condition when time matters as well as accuracy.  It is very pretty and elegant and whether you choose the globe or heart, it can be worn on a necklace or used as a keychain.  You can choose between 18k gold or rhodium silver for your finish and it includes a wallet size emergency care information for emergency personnel, an emergency pill compartment for emergency medication, a 24 hour on call nurse and free replacement if you lose or damage your heart of globe.  The software provides translation in several languages.  Click here to see all available languages.  It also is password protected if you choose to add additional documents such as passports, social cards, etc.

It has a 30 day unconditional, 100% money back guarantee and for only $14.95, you can have a 30 day trial set up.  

Overall, it's a win-win situation for you or your loved ones.

Additional Information:

Neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon explains why having information available can save a life here.

For 90 days post purchase, you get access to a wealth of additional services free.

John Shanahan, serial entrepreneur, developed A Very Special Heart and a Very Special Globe in response to the sudden death of a friend who died suddenly when insulin levels became too low but emergency medical personnel mistakingly thought the friend was drunk.  A mistake that cost his friend's life.


*Disclaimer:  The subject matter expressed in this post of are my personal opinions.  The sponsor company who provided the product did not financially compensate me for this post.  A complimentary product was supplied in exchange for my opinion.

Newest Birthday Card and Invitation Additions: Safari, Caterpillar, Princess & More

I just finished making some new birthday and invitation cards at my Zazzle store.  This has been a fun hobby that brought it in a little spare money which funded my other hobbies.  If you haven't checked out Zazzle, give it a try and see what you can create.

Don't forget to enter my $25 Zazzle Gift Certificate giveaway which can be used at any Zazzle store.

Safari Birthday Party Invitations by jbranam
View more greeting cards at zazzle

Safari Birthday Party Coordinated Stickers by jbranam
More Safari Stickers

Pink and Black Striped with Bows Invitation by jbranam
Get your post card printing done with Zazzle

Pink and Black Striped Bows Invitation Stickers by jbranam
Browse Pink Stickers

Caterpillar Invitation or Birthday Card by jbranam
View more Caterpillar Cards

Pink Purple Princess Invitations by jbranam
View other Purple Cards

Pink Purple Princess Invitations by jbranam
Browse more Greeting Cards

Slumber Party Invitation by jbranam
Shop for another card online at zazzle

Pink and Polka Dot Diamond Card Invitation by jbranam
rack cards printing from zazzle

Trendy Treehouse's Marketing Monday

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• Come here every Monday and link up your blog, website, Etsy Shop
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In return.... would you also please follow us here at Trendy Treehouse, on Facebook, Twitter& Network Blogs! Thanks so much!

Zulily: Another Baby & Maternity Sample Site (Cutie Pa Tutus Right Now)

I just found another great sample site for baby and maternity products.  Zulily has a lot more samples than some other baby sites I've seen.

Cutie Pa Tutus is listed right now and if you know anything about her Tutus, they are amazingly cute and adorable and right now until 3/10, they are 40% off!

They also have Urban Smalls, SweetPea Baby, ImagiPLAY, Fierce Hugs, Pedoodles, Under the Nile and Stupell right now.

Membership is free so you have nothing to lose by signing up!

Maternity Clothes $9.99 at Kiki's Fashions Maternity

My newest interest is maternity clothes since my oldest is pregnant with my first grand baby!  I'm excited and happy to say that I'll be a grandma at 42 (still feels like I'm 22).  I'm going to be posting the specials I find in case it helps others trying to be frugal and on a budget as my daughter is.

Kiki's Fashions Maternity has a page devoted to clothing at $9.99.  Here are a couple:

They even have a nice selection both on sale and not. Check out the clearance section here.  Both are under $20!

Maternity bottoms all under $30!  They have a fun selection of dresses and plus sizes too.  One of the things my daughter needs is transitional clothing and they have that covered too!

For a limited time, enjoy 10%, 15% or 20% off based on your purchases of $40, $75 or $100.  See website for details.

Here is a little bit about Kiki's:

About Us

Kiki's Fashions is dedicated to bringing our customers today's cute and trendy maternity clothes at low, low prices. While most maternity clothes out in the market are boxy, boring and expensive, we pride ourselves on having a wide selection of unique maternity styles at prices mostly under $20.

By selling exclusively on the Internet, Kiki's Fashions is able to maintain very low operating costs and we pass those savings on to our customers by offering prices 15%- 30% off many of our competitors. We also change our inventory often, so our customers always have access to today's hottest fashions and trends.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Coming from a family with a colon cancer history and a father in remission for it, I'm definitely happy to advocate March as being colon cancer awareness month.  Each year, the American Cancer Society says 50,000 people die of colon cancer and it's the third leading cause of death among men and women.

There are typically no symptoms until it passes the early stages. Signs to watch out for are bowel changes, stomach pain, dark stools, tiredness, rectal bleeding or blood in the stools.  If you have a history of colon cancer, early screening is recommended.  Colon cancer mostly occurs in men and women over 50 years old so make sure you get screened annually.

During the screening tests, polyps might be detected which can be removed before they might turn to cancer.  My dad can always tell when polyps regrow as he has a change in his bowel habits which is a good sign to be checked.  He's been in remission for almost four years now.

Get checked and wear blue in support of colon cancer awareness for March!

My Twitter ReTweet Win: Cutie Pa Tutus

A few week's ago or so ago, I was retweeting my giveaways, others giveaways and tweeting out two of my favorite online, women-owned stores:  Adorable Baby Clothing and Ficklets.  Ros at Ficklets was retweeting about a giveaway if Cutie Pa Tutus achieved a certain number of followers.  I followed because Ros said so!  Long story short, I won!!!  My gorgeous two year old won a custom made Tutu! 

It was an adorable Valentine's Day tutu but I noted how I should have ordered a Colts colored one as no matter what, I love my Colts.  That's when Cutie Pa Tutu offered to make it sports tutu in the blue and white colors!  Isn't that nice?

Not only is Cutie Pa Tutus a cute name but they have cute tutus premade, one's you can custom make, matching poofy pom pom wands and great looking play capes.

The story of Cutie Pa Tutus is inspiring as it's a mom who needed a tutu for her daughter's first princess party.  Amanda, owner, found the market was really good in SC and expanded her brilliant idea in starting her own business.

 

Cutie Pa Tutus isn't just for girls!  There are personalized super hero capes and masks.  You can choose red, hot pink or royal blue.  What kid wouldn't love this?  I think it's a great idea and never even thought about making super hero capes!

Just when you think there could not be more, Cutie Pa Tutu also has personalized super hero boxers, personalized super hero boxers and onesie combos, persoanlized onesies and personalized super hero t-shirts.

Don't forget to check out the Me and My Doll Matching Tutus, Pa Tutu Pals, and Pooch Pa Tutu.

Thank you for the adorable tutu that my little one loves!  I'll be posting a photo of her soon!