In So Many Words

I got an email about this yesterday and thought it was too fun not to share. Let me know if you enter so I can see your ugly sweater!!

Christmas is a time for traditions, food, merriment, family, and…horrific seasonal sweaters. It’s the only time of year where you can sport apparel with a Rudolph nose that blinks red lights without being teased (too much).

Enter the 2nd Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest and you could win a $500 Visa Gift Card…just in time for Christmas shopping!

Spread some Christmas cheer! Share your picture to win!

There are two ways to enter:

1. Enter the contest on Facebook
2. Enter the contest on WaterBrook’s Website

You can also check out the ugly Christmas sweaters from 2010!

A Lasting Impression
by Tamera Alexander

About the Book

A fake. A forger. More than anything, Claire Laurent longs for the chance to live an authentic life, to become the woman she wants to be. And she’ll be given that choice. But will it come at too costly a price?

Claire Laurent’s greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she’s forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she’s sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville’s society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach–but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.

The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton’s home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family’s honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined–as well as the woman he loves. Set at Nashville’s historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves–and each other–for who they really are.

My Thoughts

Although a tad formulaic, this book makes a good impression within the genre of inspirational fiction. I appreciated the detail the author put in for the historical setting, both with regard to the place and the time, and I enjoyed the overall story.

This was a cozy read that would be ideal for a cold winter’s night when you just want to relax and escape for a while.

To hear what other reviewers thought about the book, check out the blog tour schedule.

About Tamera

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don’t forget Jack, their precious–and precocious–silky terrier.

For more information please visit www.tameraalexander.com.

Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party from Tamera Alexander!

While Tamera and her book, A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually (with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle Fire Giveaway (11/4 – 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don’t miss a minute of the fun. Swoon!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
• A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 15th. Winner will be announced at A Lasting Impression Facebook Party on the 15th. Tamera will be wrapping up the A Lasting Impression celebration with an author chat and giving away Southern Food Baskets (Loveless Cafe Food Baskets, books, Amazon & Starbucks gift certificates, and copies of Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate cookbook), six gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com, and copies of A Lasting Impression! So grab your copy of A Lasting Impression (it’s okay if you don’t have one yet – you might win one!) and join Tamera on the evening of November 15th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about the 1860′s?) and lots of Southern-inspired giveaways (complete listing here).

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 15th!

Note: This is Book #101 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy for free, and all opinions and comments are my own.

Mother’s Day is coming up soon, and 5 Minutes for Mom is again celebrating moms with a bunch of great giveaways. Here is some info from the Mother’s Day Giveaway 2011 post:

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” -Anonymous

The sacrifices of being a mom are many, but so are the joys. It is time once again to honor all that you do with one of our favorite events here at 5 Minutes for Mom, our Mother’s Day Giveaway.

We have some fun things in store. Of course we have flowers and chocolate covered strawberries. We also have a BOB stroller and HP Notebook. Yes, we have some fabulous giveaways for YOU, because you deserve it!

Our Mother’s Day Giveaway 2011 event kicks off today, April 21st, and will run until May 7th. We will announce our winners on the morning of Mother’s Day, May 8th.

There are two giveaways up so far, and more to come over the next few days. Rules for entering are listed on the individual giveaway posts:

• Mother’s Day Giveaway – HP Pavilion dm1
• Celebrate Mother’s Day With ProFlowers

Pop on over if you’d like to enter (or feel free not to – more chances for me to win)!

Thanks to those who entered the giveaway for the two Hallmark Recordable Storybooks. With the help of Random.org, two winners were selected and they were emailed for their address info and choice of book.

The winners were Jean Lasher and JoyMama!

Jean wrote:

I would love to win one of these books for my granddaughter. She lives in NC and I live in NY. We are not able to travel anymore due to my husband being sick so will not be able to see her for the holidays. Do miss seeing her grow up and change. This way she can hear my voice and know I still love her.

and JoyMama shared:

I think a recordable-book would be a great way to help my daughter (age 6) associate words with the printed page — and help keep her interest long enough to keep the book open to that particular page. Books have been a particular challenge for her, with her various developmental issues. Her librarian-mother is sometimes driven near distraction by this! But she does love to hear voice play-backs, and if this could help her stop on each page long enough to put together that each page does have meaning attached… well, it would be a tool well worth having.

Excellent give-away idea — might have to put it on a Christmas list if we don’t win!

I wish I had a book to give each and every one of you who entered – all of your stories touched my heart and I wish you much joy this holiday season.

Just in case you missed it or didn’t get a chance to enter yet, here’s a reminder about my Hallmark Recordable Storybook giveaway. All entries must be received by Midnight EST on Tuesday, December 7th.

I also wanted to let you know about a great deal Hallmark is offering on their personalized holiday greetings. Here’s the offer:

Between now and Dec. 31, enter the code Blogger25 at checkout to receive 25% off of your order of personalized holiday greetings on hallmark.com! Hallmark.com’s personalized holiday greetings collection includes customizable holiday cards, party invitations, plates and thank you cards – all photo-ready and featuring contemporary new designs. And perhaps the best part? No need to visit the post office to send out anything. Just visit Hallmark.com, pick your favorite design, customize it with a favorite photo and a personal message. Hallmark will do the rest! From printing the addresses and adding postage to mailing the cards on any date you choose, Hallmark’s got it all under control.

To enter the giveaway, visit the original review post. I am closing comments on this post so no one tries to enter here and misses out.

Hallmark Recordable Storybooks feature simple to use voice-capture technology. All you have to do is lay the book flat, press the record button and speak your message. Once you press the stop button, you will immediately hear a playback of what you have recorded and can simply re-record it if you wish to get it just right. Or, if you are happy with your recording, simply do nothing and move on to the next page.

Once you have finished making your recording, there is a switch inside the battery compartment that can be set to LOCK to protect what have done or switched back to UNLOCK to re-record a page or to erase all of the audio in the book. It’s a simple but effective safety measure to protect your recording from little fingers!

Review

For the review, I received a copy of the book All the Ways I Love You. I was instantly delighted by the adorable illustrations and touching verses. I immediately thought of a recent conversation with my brother, who is expecting his first child in March. He really wants his child to become familiar with his voice even before he is born, but my brother has to travel quite a bit for work right now.

This book would be a great tool for him to use by recording himself reading it so that his wife could play it for the baby when he is out of town. I thoroughly enjoyed trying out this book and was able to easily remove my voice so that it would be ready for my brother to use. Hopefully, he will find it as enchanting as I did!

Giveaway

I am hosting a giveaway for two Recordable Storybooks from Hallmark. Each winner will receive their choice of one of these precious keepsakes.

You can enter up to three times (one via each method listed below):
For your first entry, simply leave a comment on this post telling me how you would use the book if you won it.
One additional entry may be obtained by Tweeting about this giveaway and leaving me a comment with a link to your Tweet.
Another additional entry can also be obtained by sharing this giveaway on Facebook and leaving me a comment with a link to your Facebook post.

All entries must be received by Midnight EST on Tuesday, December 7th. The two winners will be chosen randomly and contacted via the email provided in the email field of the comment form for their address and book selection. I will announce the winners on my blog by Friday, December 10th.

For more information about the recordable storybooks, including browsing through the collection or hearing stories from other families of how they have used these keepsakes, visit Hallmark.com.

Bob @ ChristianPF.com (Christian Personal Finance) is giving away an new iPod Touch, something I would love to have to use with Michael.

Having read through a few of the posts at CPF, I am definitely interested enough to keep reading. One of the best posts I found so far is How to sell your stuff on Ebay, since this is something I have been wanting to do and been slightly afraid to try.

This may have to move from my Someday/Maybe list to my Projects list. Hmmm.

As I sometimes do on Sundays, I would like to share a few links that I have run across recently which may provide some benefit to others (perhaps informational, thought-provoking or just plain fun).

Oh, you want to know who won the giveaway? All in good time, my friends, all in good time.

Okay, okay, I’ll wait here while you scroll down and see if it was you. Just make sure you scroll back up because there’s some really good stuff here in these links that you won’t want to miss.

The Links

Informational:
Walking the Autism Road with Someone You Love by Christine Hoover – a short article with highly practical suggestions for anyone who wants to be a friend to a family dealing with a diagnosis of autism or another disability. This was helpful to me to more easily articulate an answer to friends who ask me how they can help.

Preventing Meltdowns: Outsmarting the Explosive Behavior of Individuals with Asperger Syndrome by Judy Endow – very nice discussion of both the stages of explosive behavior and several solid strategies for preventing meltdowns before they start

Thought-Provoking:
Vaccines: Are you REALLY “Green”? at 1-2-3 Autism Free – interesting post about how many people who are concerned with going green and/or organic also choose to vaccinate their children, given the ingredients in said vaccines. I have to admit I’m on the other side of the problem, easily choosing not to vaccinate but having a harder time being truly green and organic in my household products and practices.

And, Finally, Just Plain Fun…
Top 10 Hazards of Being a Mom Blogger by Ellen at Love That Max – Number 1 is “Being called a ‘Mom Blogger.’” Enough said – now go and read the rest!

The Giveaway Winner

As promised on my Cowboy & Wills review, I am also announcing the winner of the free copy of the book. I listed out and numbered all of the entries from the top down, with Mrskroberts being number 1 and Shenkfam being number 13. I then ran a random number generator at Random.org, and this is the result:

The winner is number 2, Elizabeth Channel. Congratulations, Elizabeth! I’ve sent you an email asking for your mailing address, and the book will be sent directly from the publisher once I have that information.

And thank you again to Monica Holloway for sharing her son’s story with us!

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it’s more than time to be finishing up Christmas presents. Especially since my husband’s family has decided to celebrate on the weekend before Christmas! (I’m totally fine with those plans, if any of you are reading, by the way. It just means I have to get myself organized!)

Anyway, 5 Minutes for Mom is having a fantastic bunch of giveaways, 30 in all. You can enter through Friday, December 4th at 12pm EST, and they will be announcing the winners on December 5th, so everything can be shipped out in time for Christmas.

As part of their Christmas celebration, 5MFM is also sponsoring Under the Tree 2009, where you can nominate a deserving family in need to win some of the same prizes being offered in the giveaways. What a wonderful opportunity to see someone blessed!

Thanks to everyone who entered to win the copy of Nourishing Hope for Autism. Skipping over the one commentor who did not want to be entered in the drawing, there were 10 entries, and here is the result from Random.org:

So, the winner is Janet, who left the following comment:

Janet September 29, 2009 at 9:57 am

Wow — this sounds like a great read.

Don’t ASD and crinkley pages go hand-in-hand? After all, don’t all cats have asperger’s?!

I’ve sent you an email, Janet, and I’ll send out the book as soon as I have your address.