Tuesday, December 29, 2009
PatientStyle Review & Giveaway
A new year is a time for improvements, sometimes which means doing things that are better for your health and sometimes that means hospital stays as well. We're also dead smack dab in the middle of flu season, and people are now stuck indoors with nothing else to do but "conceive" (ever wonder why there are so many August/September/October birthdays?) All of these situations, and then some, warrant reason to hit up PatientStyle.com and do a bit o' shopping.
Patient Style is where you can shop online to make your hospital trip, or healing at home, that much prettier. Hospital gowns are, lets face it, ugly- and Patient Style gives you the chance to get a hospital gown of your own, brand new, and in a gorgeous print or color. They also carry items like nursing covers for the ladies about to deliver their babies, pajamas, pillows, slippers and much more. I received their anti-microbial socks that have got to be some of the softest, warmest, coziest socks I've ever worn. With their anti-microbial qualities, who can complain?? Any way to protect yourself and your loved ones even in the slightest is a good thing!!
Want to win PatientStyle.com Chenille socks?? Head over to PatientStyle.com and browse, is there something else that catches your eye? Leave a comment letting me know!!
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
- Become a fan of A Couch With A View on Facebook.
- Follow PatientStyle on Twitter.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on January 8th. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review (by Patient Style), which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Here we are approaching the next year coming!! 2009 flew by and with all that went on this year, I'm ready to embrace everything that 2010 has to offer!! Menu planning was one of the things that kept my budget on track this year and for that I am ever so grateful!!
Recipes are below!!
Sunday: Ordering a pizza
Monday: Pesto Pasta
Tuesday: Chicken Carbonara
Wednesday: Crockpot Baked Ziti
Thursday: Grilled Cheese & Soup
Friday: Crockpot Beef Stew
Saturday: Pesto Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!
Recipes::
Chicken Carbonara
1/2 lb. spaghetti
8 slices, chopped bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups chicken, already cooked and cut up
1/2 c. grated parm cheese
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
Cook and drain spaghetti, cook bacon and then drain, save 1 tb. bacon grease. Cook onion and garlic in the reserved grease. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and cream, stirring well, and occasionally until heated through.
Crockpot Beef Stew
2 lbs. stew beef
pepper to taste
splash worcestershire sauce
3 potatoes, cut into chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into chunks
4 carrots, cut into chunks
salt to taste
1.5 c. beef broth
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1/4 c. flour
Place meat into crockpot, mix together flour, salt, pepper and mix in with the meat. Stir to make sure meat is coated. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Stir and serve!
Pesto Chicken & Sweet Potatoes as referenced from A Year of Slow Cooking
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Play like a pet with Petcentric.com!
We're cat owners here, she's a attitude filled, spunky girl, and even at about 10 years old, she's full of energy. Though one day we do wish we can have a dog, our kitty Sierra is a member of the family. Petcentric by Purina is a new online community that can help you embrace being a pet owner, with all sorts of awesome information.
There's also a Winter Wonderland contest going on through January 15th at Petcentric, where you can enter to win some really awesome prizes for you and your pet!! Also, make sure your following them on Twitter for more fun and games. Also, on their Facebook fan page you can enter their Everyday with Rachel Ray sweepstakes to win a tote full fo pet friendly and fun products!
I've passed Petcentric on to so many friends so far, especially a dear one who lives a bit far. We've been friends for years, but I was so happy for her when she opened her own doggy-babysitting style business. She was even finding stuff on Petcentric that she didn't know about!
Would you like to win a Nikon Coolpix 10.0 megapixel digital camera to capture all your pet memories?? Leave a comment here with something from the Petcentric site that you found to be helpful or fun!!
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View (left hand sidebar)
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet daily, leaving a comment with the link for each tweet.
- Follow Petcentric on Twitter.
- Become a Facebook fan of Petcentric, leave a note on the wall saying that you came from A Couch With A View!
- Become a Facebook fan of A Couch With A View.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on December 31st. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review, which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Hopefully the last bitchfest of 2009
Give a gift of knowledge with National Geographic Kids!
The book itself is loaded with tons of pictures, which are so clear and vibrant, and make learning that much more fun- even for me! The tons of facts that are jam packed into the book are simply awesome, and things that I didn't know, and that I know Boug is going to be thrilled to learn about! Stuff like underwater pumpkin carving contests and how far a person walks around the world in a lifetime (3 times around!!) The games, crafts, stories and more in the National Geographic Kids Almanac 2010 is going to be sure to keep our attention for a long long time!
The National Geographic Kids Almanac 2010 is available for purchase here. If you're looking to pick it up as a great last minute gift, its also available at Barnes & Noble.
Want to win a National Geographic Kids Almanac 2010?? Let me know what your favorite thing about National Geographic is, is there something you learned at some point in your life that you will always associate with National Geographic? Or you can head over to the National Geographic shop and browse around, leaving a comment with something else that you'd love to get your hands on!
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet daily, leaving a comment with the link for each tweet.
- Follow National Geographic Kids on twitter.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Enter any of Melissa's Holiday Gift Guide giveaways, let me know which ones- max. 3 extra entries here.
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on December 31st. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review, which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Wordless Wednesday
You can always find more WW at EM, 5M4M and the Hub!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
These are definitely Nacho Mama Tees!!
Nacho Mama Tees carries tee shirts that are funny, some that could be termed "slightly offensive", vintage style tees and more, in sizes for women as well as, of course, for the menfolk. Like tonight, when we ran out of toilet paper, I immediately wished that I had the "What Would McGyver Do" tee. That's just how my sense of humor rolls!!
Order four tees or more and get free shipping from Nacho Mama Tees!! Their Nacho Christmas daily shirt deal is also going on now where you can get a shirt for $6.99 and 15% off of everything! Of course don't forget to check out their daily facebook trivia for a chance to win a free Nacho Mama Tees shirt!! Freebies are also given on twitter from time to time and there's even a chance to win just by being an email subscriber!!
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review (by Nacho Mama Tees), which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Be beautiful with Dr. Perricone No Foundation Foundation
I'm always saying that I'm not an overly done up, makeup wearing, matching socks, girlie chick. I'm quite simple and basic. I've been known not to have the same socks on at times and I seldom wear much makeup. I'm more for feeling as comfortable as I can in my own skin, and as I've been bringing you giveaways from Dr. Pericone, I'm becoming more and more happy with the way I feel about myself.
My new Perricone MD cosmeceuticals discovery? Their No Foundation Foundation. Its so convenient for me, because not messing around with a whole bunch of products to look good makes me happy. As a mom of 2, "me" bathroom time to get ready is virtually nonexistant. The No Foundation Foundation has kept me feeling good about myself, with its antioxidant benefits, it also has awesome translucent coverage, corrects the uneven tones of my splotchy skin, and keeps my skin moisturized- which I adore especially during this extremely cold upstate NY December!! Of course with its non-chemical SPF 30, the No Foundation Foundation is going to be such an asset in the summer months as well!
Would you like to win the Perricone No Foundation Foundation?? Leave a comment here with what your skins biggest woes are, or what's a product that you tried that didn't help?
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
- Follow Perricone and DrPerricone on twitter.
- Become a fan of A Couch With A View on Facebook.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Become a fan of Perricone MD on Facebook, leave a note on the wall letting them know you came from A Couch With A View!
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on December 31st. U.S. only please. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win??
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review and giveaway (by Perricone MD), which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Last week wasn't as busy as usual, which is nice, since this week is going to be insane!! Here we go... I have to pick up my grandparents from the airport Monday night from their month long vacation, my uncle and his family come into town on Tuesday from Texas, Tuesday night we have a holiday get together with the family and friends that come up from the city. Wednesday is a half day for Boug at school, and then Thursday, Christmas Eve, I'm hosting the get together at my house. Thankfully I'm keeping it small. Then Friday being Christmas, Saturday being another party and then my family going back to Texas on Sunday. Then Monday, hopefully things will start back to normal!!
Recipes are below!!
Sunday: Grilled Cheese & Soup
Monday: Pesto Pasta (if we make it home for dinner)
Tuesday: Out at mom's, bringing 2 crockpots of lasagna
Wednesday: Cheese Quesadillas
Thursday: Christmas Eve smorgasbord! I told everyone I wasn't cooking an actual meal and that we could do appetizers and fingerfoods, my kitchen is just far too small for real entertaining!
-brie, procuitto, crackers
-ultimate party meatballs
-mexican fondue w/crusty bread
-honey bbq wings
-beef biscuit cups
-ranch ham roll ups
-spinach cheese swirls
(and no, crap- I haven't come up with anything good for dessert yet, and no, no one has offered to be the dessert bringer as of yet... give me some easy easy easy dessert recipes!!)
Friday: Christmas at moms
Saturday: Out- party at a friends house
Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!
Crockpot Lasagna recipes:
Crockpot Veggie Lasagne
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 zuchhini sliced
4 carrots grated
2 cups baby spinach
1 onion sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar(28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
16 ounces cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into veggies and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of the cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.Makes 6-8 servings.
Crockpot Lasagna (from A Welcoming Heart)
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar(28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
16 ounces cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of the cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.Makes 6-8 servings.
Recipes for Christmas Eve smorgasbord:::
Ultimate Party Meatballs
Honey BBQ Chicken Wings (From MomAdvice)
3 lbs chicken wings
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Season wings with salt & pepper. Place frozen wings on broiler pan and broil for 12-15 minutes on each side. Transfer wings to the slow cooker. Combine ingredients and pour over wings. Cook on high two hours or low for four hours.
Amish Country Bread: (from One More Moore)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 teaspoons salt
1.5 c. hot water
2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
5 c. flour
Put all ingredients into a mixer except flour and let sit to activate the yeast. Add the flour in small batches until mixed. Place into a greased bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch down and divide in half, place onto a cookie sheet and cut decorative slits on top. Allow to rise again. Add an egg white wash on top and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Mexican Fondue:
1 can cream corn
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 packaged (16 oz.) velveeta cheese cubed
Spray slowcooker with cooking spray and combine corn, tomatoes, green chilies and chili powder. Stir in the cheese. Cover & cook on high for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so until cheese is melted. Serve with the crusty bread cubed!
Beef Biscuit Cups
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 tubes of refridgerated biscuits
1 c. shredded cheddar
Brown beef and drain, stir in the spaghetti sauce and cook til heated through. Press biscuits into muffin cups, making a well- pushing the biscuits down and up the sides. Fill the well with about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-17 minutes, add the shredded cheddar on top and bake for an additional 3 minutes.
Ranch Ham Roll Ups
2 8oz packages cream cheese softened
1 packet ranch dressing mix
3 chopped green onions
11 flour tortillas
22 slices deli ham
Combine cream cheese and salad dressing mix til smooth, add in the green onions. Lay out the torts and spread cream cheese on. Top with your ham, and then roll up. Wrap in plastic and refridgerate until firm. Cut 1" thick pieces and serve!
Spinach Cheese Swirls
1 tube pizza crust
1 package frozen chopped thawed spinach
2 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. fine chop onion
1 minced garlic clove
Lay out your pizza crust. In a bowl combine all other ingredients, spread overtop of the pizza crust and roll up like a jelly roll. Bake seam side down in a 400 degree oven for 27ish minutes or until golden.
Read more...
Get crazy tees from Crazy Dog T-Shirts!
Want to win a tee shirt from Crazy Dog T-Shirts?? Simply head over to their site and browse around, what catches your eye? Leave a comment here letting me know!! One winner will receive their choice of tee from Crazy Dog!
Make sure to increase your winning chances by entering Melissa's Crazy Dog T-Shirts giveaway too!
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Add my Holiday Gift Guide button to your blog for 2 extra entries. (leave 2 comments)
- Enter any of Melissa's Holiday Gift Guide giveaways, let me know which ones- max. 3 extra entries here.
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on December 31st. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review and giveaway (by Crazy Dog T-Shirts), which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...
Bling it on with gifts from Joolwe!!
Joolwe has all the selection that you need for gift giving, even if you're gifting yourself! They carry everything from necklaces and pendants, to rings, bracelets, and designer items from Elle and the Athena collections. I've been able to find so much that I know so many people that I care about would just adore. As for me personally, I'm lusting for the sterling silver and diamond accent orb necklace, I simply adore it!!
And whether you're a jewelry addict or a here and there type of shopper, you can always reward yourself with Joolwe's reward program. For each dollar spent at Joolwe, you'll receive 1 point toward your future purchases, you can possibly get future purchases for FREE!!
Joolwe is also doing a wonderful thing with their selfless women award, where they acknowledge amazing women doing amazing things. Be sure to check out the recipients of the awards!
Sign up for Joolwe's newsletter, because all subscribers are entered into their biweekly jewelry giveaway!! Make sure you follow Joolwe on twitter, you never know when you'll see them tweet a discount, promotion or limited time deal!!
Read more...
Please pardon me...
I believe that I gave myself "blogger burnout"... between the overwhelming holiday gift guide, life at home in general and going back to work- all on top of family coming into town for Christmas and getting prepared for that, I had put my site on the back burner for a bit. For that, I apologize. So here I am, waiting for the snow to start flying... 12:12 am and still haven't put my 'jamas on because once I do, I'll fall asleep and I have so many posts that I need to do!! So... bear with me while I play a bit of catch up and we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon!!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
The storyline is cute, with the family, of course, running into their mishaps- in this movie is where Alex pretty much threatens her families existance! Watching the kids try and keep the parents together, all while using each and every trick that they know how to, in order to get the "stone of dreams" to reverse the spell. The Wizards of Waverly Place movie had Boug riveted, she simply adores Selena Gomez in her role, and the movie was definitely something that we could all be interested in as a family, which was nice instead of suffering through yet another kids movie!
Of course coming with a "stone of dreams" was a big highlight to Boug, she absolutely loves anything that makes her feel like a part of the movie. She's been obsessed with carrying it around for days!
You can pick up your copy of The Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie at Amazon.com
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review, though in no way changed the way I feel about the product and company! Read more...
Impress your guests with President Cheese!
One of which is going to be an awesome cheese spread, thanks to President Cheese. They have the best brie that I've had in a while and I can't wait to put it out for my guests! The resources that they have at their site are so valuable to me, and I know that I'll be able to put out a great cheese board for the family that will be hanging out with us that night! I've been scouring through the recipes at the President Cheese site and I'm looking forward to adding the President Brie log en Croute with Shallots and Tarragon to the menu, among the other awesome recipes that are available.
Anything that can make my life easier is welcome of course, and the President Cheese site has, and will continue to be, a big giant help! I love that they provide wine and cheese pairing suggestions, tips for creating your spreads, how to videos, and even more party and occasion tips! Being on a strict budget, the site has helped me know what to buy, so that I'm not overspending on these fabulous recipes. I've always hated spending more then I need to in order to make something phenomenal! I'll be making fabulous, phenomenal items that fit my price ranges!
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review, though in no way changed the way I feel about the product and company! Read more...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Few more winners!
The holiday gift guide and other giveaways have produced a few more winners here!!
A Very Monkey Christmas: Cakeblast CLAIMED
Glade Candle: Sohamolina CLAIMED
Coleman Gift Card: Jennifer CLAIMED
Fresh Organic Baby: 409cope CLAIMED
Check your emails- you have 48 hours to claim your prizes!! Congrats winners!!
Some last minute gift ideas!
I found a couple great last minute ideas that I'd love to share with you!!
You can get Seinfeld Monopoly game for $4.99, marked down from $34.95.... cause you know, maybe the dingo ate your baby? Or there's no soup for you?
For the Twilight-aholics, amazon.com has select Twilight items marked down 60%. You can see all those blood sucking, hot items here: Twilight Markdowns
Friggen' LOVE this- A disposable plate that fits on top of a can or a beer bottle, awesome for those holiday gatherings that you just don't have enough table space for everyone to sit and eat. Or people who are too busy mingling with others to sit and eat! Check out the Go Plate here: The Go Plate
And with amazon.com you have 2 days left to order with FREE super saver shipping to ensure Christmas arrival. Get on it!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Give a hug with a Bee Well Wishes gift!
Want to win a Big Bee Tee from Bee Well Wishes?? Simply head over to their site and browse around, what catches your eye? Leave a comment here letting me know!!
Extra Entries??
- Follow or Subscribe to A Couch With A View
- Follow CaseyDeuce on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
- Post my button on your blog.
- Add my Holiday Gift Guide button to your blog for 2 extra entries. (leave 2 comments)
- Enter any of Melissa's Holiday Gift Guide giveaways, let me know which ones- max. 3 extra entries here.
- Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
- Post about this giveaway on your blog!
- If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com
This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on December 22nd. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?
Opinions are my own, I was provided items free of charge to review (by Bee Well Wishes), which in no way changed the way I feel about the product! Read more...