Winning and Losing

My greatest enjoyment about blogging has always been about connecting.

Connecting with bloggers and readers and with the friends that I’ve made here. It’s all about sympathizing when things go wrong.... and celebrating when they go right. Because when you think about it, blogging is about community, and being part of the blogging community is something I love!

Without readers and comments, bloggers would just be "talking to our selves". Readers make our blogs what they are! Those comments are the reason we continue to blog.

Sometimes being apart of that community opens up opportunities. Contests and giveaways are some of the thrilling opportunities of a blogging community.

Recently I entered a blogging contest thru Twittermom's and Samsung Home Appliances {click here to see all those posts}. This contest initially required the help of the bloggers readers and comments. Boy, did my readers step up to help! Their comments were supposed to help me win a new Samsung Washer and Dryer. They spent countless hours as a community, helping one of their own.

I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting to hear the results of your support (over 43,000 comments). Did I win the Washer and Dryer?

After the contest was over, Twittermom's informed all entrants that they were no longer going to choose the blog with the most comments, but they would choose a random winner to be announced on Tuesday Oct 13, 2009. I have yet to hear anything, no notice of a winner has been seen or heard. (UPDATE: the random winner was announce late Friday Oct 16)

During the month of September I heard about the Chevy and Mommy Madness campaign that was coming to St. Louis looking for Mommy Bloggers to drive a sweet Chevy for four weeks! Heck yeah!! I applied..........but I was not picked as one of the six lucky bloggers. Too bad, looks like fun! Congrats to those bloggers who were picked!! I follow a few of their blogs (Extraordinary Mommy and STL Mommy), and they are GREAT mommy bloggers!

So, I was feeling a little sorry for myself....when I get a message from
Jyl of Mom it Forward

Back in August she had a giveaway!
You needed to share your best or worst housework experience
in her comments
to win one of three Dyson Vacuum cleaners!

Guess WHAT?!!!!

I WON!!

A DYSON BALL VACUUM CLEANER! (DC24)
I couldn't believe it!!
♥ Isn't she BEAUTIFUL ♥

How EXCITING was THIS!!?

This beauty just arrived at my house yesterday,
you better believe I'll post soon to tell you all about her!

I think she needs a name doesn't she??

I'd love to hear your ideas!!

Thanks again to Mom it Forward and Dyson for making this mom's life a little easier!

I linked up to Beautiful Life Friday at the Inspired Room!

Thank YOU!!!

What a crazy wonderful ride this past week has been!!

I can not express my gratitude to each and everyone of you who spent the time helping me with the Samsung Washer & Dryer contest!!

43,000

Can you believe THAT number? Do you know what that number is?

It's how many comments I received on my Where is the Heart of YOUR Home post!

You all are unbelievable and real troopers!! Last night in the final hours, there was smoke coming from your computers! LOL

The winner will be announced next Friday Oct 9 - So hang tight and I'll keep you posted on who the winner is!

A super big Thank You to Samsung Home Appliances and Twittermoms for making this possible!

I NEVER thought in my wildest dreams, would I see over 43,000 comments on one blog post of mine!

Hooked On Friends!!

Friday means it's time for Julia's Hooked on Fridays Party!

This Friday I am TOTALLY hooked on my FRIENDS!!

It's been a CRAZY week with the Samsung contest!

I have some awesome friends & family and

amazing Tidymom readers

who have been helping me all week!!

Seriously, there are no words to express my gratitude!

This contest will end Friday Oct 2 at 11:59pm Eastern Time

If you still want to help and leave some comments on my

Where is the Heart of Your Home post ,

I will be forever thankful whether I win or not!

So many people have dedicated a lot of their time to helping me win!

*NOTE* in the 23 years we've been married,

we have never owned a BRAND NEW appliance!

{sigh......Samsung would be our first }

*******

Getting goodies from friends is always fun!

I found an unexpected package in my mailbox earlier this week, only to open it and find a new Twilight t-shirt that a friend had sent me as a thank you gift for something I had sent to her! She certainly did NOT need to do that, but I LOVE my new shirt!♥ - on a side note, we just purchased our movie tickets for the midnight premier of New Moon on Nov 20 !!!!WOOHOO!

Sorry if it looks a little wrinkled, I've been sleeping in it! LOL

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Earlier last month I won a giveaway on It's So Very Cheri - I was the winner chosen as she reached her 200th follower!! Woohooo!! Cheri sent me this wonderful fall pumpkin plate and plate holder!! Can you believe I STILL don't have any fall decor out! - I'm going to try and work on that this weekend!

Be sure to check out Cheri's blog carnival she hosts every Monday! There are always loads of GREAT links!!

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

And last, my bloggy buddy (whom I've also met IRL because we live near each other!)

Jenny, awarded me with a Best Blog Award- Thanks Jenny

But really, you need to head over to Jenny's blog, Our Nifty Notebook

and see the GREAT fall/Halloween items she's been working on!!

Like these Fantastic FAKE Caramel Apples!! - you won't believe how crazy easy they are to make! Click the picture to see her post

Jenny, I'll trade you - some fake caramel apples for some of my cookies!! Deal?

I will be linking this post to Julia's Hooked on Fridays Party!! Be sure to click over and see what other's are hooked on! ~

The Laundry Room {keep it clean}

It's a dirty job........but somebody's gotta do it!

Laundry that is!

Since I'm trying to win a new washer and dryer from Samsung here in this post, I thought we could look at ways to make our laundry rooms into a more inviting space.

Unnecessary clutter can give any space a dirty look. Having a closed basket for dumping dirty clothes rather than piling them on the floor would give a more organized look.

Pottery Barn has this beautiful Seagrass Divided Hamper

Baskets! Lots of baskets to keep everything organized. Out of site but with in reach. Target has these great milk crate baskets with liners.

I'm in love with the idea of apothecary jars

in the laundry room!

(Image: Hampton Designs)

or these great Laundry tins,

like my pal Saucy has in her laundry room

If you're lucky enough to be able to do your ironing in your laundry room too,

how about a gorgeous new ironing board cover

(I have one of these beauties on my wish list!)

I wouldn't mind keeping my ironing board out for everyone to see if it looked like this!!

Etsy: Darla Rose

I say...........

BRING ON THE DIRTY CLOTHES!!

If you have a few minutes I'd love you forever

if you could click over to this post

and leave me a few comments and help me win

a new Samsung Washer & Dryer

so I can get my start to a beautiful laundry room!

Thanks to each and everyone of you that has been helping me in this contest!

YOU ARE THE BEST!

Favorite Laundry Products

Laundry..........the dreaded chore!

I don't know about you, but I never seem to find the bottom of the pile!

I'm asking PLEADING you to help me make doing my laundry more enjoyable by helping me win a new washer & dryer courtesy of Samsung and Twittermoms!

{Click here to help me win!}

REMEMBER

you can leave TONS, LOTS AS MANY comments as you WISH!!

don't leave them on this post, you must click here to help me!)

The competition is getting fierce out there ladies!! I know it looks like I may already have a lot of comments - but this is a close race and we have 5 days to go!! OCT 2 is the deadline!!

Like most mom's I have some laundry arsenal that helps me keep my family looking nice and their clothes smelling clean!

Shout Color Catcher is probably by far, one of my most FAVORITE laundry products!

I am not a spokesperson for Shout Color Catchers, but I sure would be in a heartbeat! They could just pay me in Shout Color Catchers. I love them THAT much!I tell everyone I know of their greatness!

I do not know how it works but all I do know is that it does work! You simply throw one of the Shout Color Cathcher cloths into your regular load of laundry and add any detergent and fabric softener. Wash normally. The Color Catcher sheet will come out of the wash in whatever color dye it trapped. It amazes me every time I use one. I use them OVER and OVER until they are just black! I can not do laundry without these! Our clothes stay fresher, the colors stay brighter and no more color bleeding! woohooo!!

Mule Team Borax

I use this stuff in every load of laundry I do. We have hard water, Mule Team Borax naturally softens hard water. It's also improves the cleaning power of your detergent, helps to remove tough stains all while it deodorizes and freshens your laundry! WOW! Can you tell me another product that does all of that?

Oh yeah, you can use Mule Team Borax for many other uses all around your house! It cleans toilet bowls and fiberglass showers, Freshens garbage disposals, Neutralizes urine smell, Deodorize your garbage pails and so much more!

Clorox Bleach Pen

This little tool may be small, but it is mighty!! Have you ever gotten a stain on the white part of a shirt, but you can't bleach it because of the colors? Well this little magic wand will erase your tears away!! Literally! I've even used it on "set in, dryed in, it's never going to come out stains!"

You can also use The Clorox Bleach Pen to target stains directly on tile, grout, caulking and porcelain!

Do you have any "I can't do laundry without this" products???

Can you please tell me about them here?

♥I LOVE LOVE LOVE to try new laundry products!♥

Click here to Leave me some comments and help me win!

you can leave as many comments as you want!

Maybe I'll even do some laundry for YOU! LOL

- that's been a big request in the comments!

Tips from TidyMom readers

First I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who are helping me try and win these beauties!

Have you seen all of the comments I have so far?

Click here to leave some comments and help me win!

Please don't think I have this in the laundry bag yet, keep the comments coming! it's not over until Friday Oct 2.

I've been reading ALL of the comment, and many have left some great laundry and household tips - some are quite funny - so I thought I'd share some of the tips that my readers have been leaving

Allyson aka Aveline said...

Burn / Scorch Marks: If the fabric is washable, brush it gently with a soft brush or dry sponge to remove loose carbon particles. Then, wash the fabric with regular detergent and color-safe bleach. This will permanently weaken the fabric even more than the scorch has, but the scorch may no longer be noticeable.

Burnt Stuff on Iron: Rub iron with aluminum foil to remove burnt on starch, etc.

Bleeding of Colors: Your red shirt got mixed in with other clothes and ruined them? First off, DON'T DRY THEM! Wash again with regular detergent and color-safe bleach . If that didn't work, Rit®, the makers of clothes dye, makes a color remover that works wonders and doesn't cost much. To prevent bleeding in the first place, wash in cold water; I also use a cup of salt OR a scoop of Oxi Clean® with every load.

Deodorant Stains on the Underarms of Washable Shirts: Sponge on white vinegar (or soak stain in it); wait 30 minutes. Launder shirts in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Using an enzyme detergent or a detergent with bleach alternative check care labels to be sure this is okay). I sometimes put liquid laundry detergent right on the area, leave it for five to ten minutes, then wash. To prevent: Let deodorant dry before dressing. And don't let stains sit! Apply prewash spray or liquid detergent ASAP, then launder. Every third or fourth washing, use the hottest water safe for the shirts.

Grease Stains: Sprinkle a generous amount of cornstarch or baby powder over the grease stain, allow it to sit for a couple of minutes, then brush the powder off. The powder absorbs the grease and it brushes off with the powder.

Gum On Clothing: Use egg whites to remove gum on clothing. Brush egg white onto gum with a toothbrush. Let sit for 15 minutes and then launder on the items normally.

bsmith said...

-cut your fabric sheets in half to save money (I do this!!)

-save one socks (other sock lost) and stained clothes for rags

LisaGoeke said...

Martha Stewart Tip:

Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

My Tip:

Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! All your pains go away!

Martha Stewart Tip:

If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves.
They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.


My Tip:

Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.

Martha Stewart Tip:

Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

My Tip:

Leftover Wine??????
HELLO!!!!!!!

Martha Stewart Tip:

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.

My Tip:

Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake!
You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway!

Martha Stewart Tip:

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

My Tip:

Go to the bakery!
Heck, they'll even decorate it for you!

Martha Stewart Tip:

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'

My Tip:

If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad.
Please recite with me the real woman's motto:
'I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!'

TammyLee said...

Here is a tip.....I put my head of lettuce wrapped in a paper towel in a Ziploc bag.....it lasts forever this way.

Whitney Caroline Designs said...

So the only tip I have is, find a handsome guy, who loves to do laundry, and marry him!

Jeanene said...

Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems
pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.

Cookies will spread if your dough is too pliable by allowing butter
to get too soft. If your cookies are spreading too much, try
refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours before baking.

When using all-purpose flour, keep in mind that one pound flour
is the equivalent to 4 cups.

I know there are many more GREAT tips in those comments

Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda
for milk in the batter.

click here

to leave your tips and help me win the Samsung Washer & Dryer! ♥

sources:
http://www.foodreference.com/html/cookingtips.html
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/tips.htm
Robbie's Kitchen

Laundry Tips !

In keeping with this week's theme

I want to win a Samsung Washer & Dryer -

click here to help me win

I thought I would do a variety of laundry posts this week!

Baking Soda and Bleach -

While baking soda is more often known for its odor control qualities, it does have natural whitening capabilities that are used by people who would rather not turn to bleach.

The best thing about baking soda in the laundry, is its ability to act as a natural boosting agent for bleach. Use 1/2 a cup of bleach and 1/2 cup of baking soda for white loads, instead of a full cup of bleach. The baking soda masks some of the bleach smell and makes the bleach even more effective.

Dried Stains:

Once a stain has been dried, it’s very hard to remove, but it is possible. Try repeating the steps for the individual stain. More than likely you’ll need to soak the stain, or use a more aggressive stain remover. On white clothes, try using lemon juice and placing the garment in the sun. Both the lemon juice and the sun will work as bleaching agents. Be sure to rinse the clothing thoroughly before rewashing.

Dingy Whites:

White fabrics can become yellowed or grayed and dingy. For gray and dingy whites try the triple soak. Soak the whites first in a solution of a bucketful of water and 2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Next rinse out the whites and soak in a solution of 2 tablespoons of ammonia and a bucketful of water. Next, rinse out the whites, and soak in a bucket of warm water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Rinse thoroughly and dry. This soaking method will leave your whites bright and clean.

Mildew Smells & Stains:

Did you forget about the clothes in the washer and now they have a sour smell? If the clothes smell, but don't have dots of mildew, you can simply rewash be sure to add bleach for whites, or color-safe bleach for colors. If you do have mildew stains, washing with chlorine bleach will remove the stains from white clothing. For colored clothing use a mixture of color-safe oxygen bleach (1 teaspoon) , and hydrogen peroxide (1 cup) to sponge the stained areas before rinsing thoroughly and rewashing. Clothes may also benefit from soaking in a borax solution.

Salt Keeps Colors from Bleeding:

Add 1/2 cup of salt to the wash cycle to prevent new colored fabrics from running.

Vinegar and your laundry:

Blankets: When washing cotton or washable wool blankets, add 2 cups of vinegar to the last rinse cycle. This will help remove the soap and make blankets soft and fluffy.

Clothes softener: Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash to soften clothes.

Lint: Reduce lint buildup and keep pet hair from clinging to clothing by adding vinegar to the last rinse cycle.

Static cling: A good way to control static cling is to add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash.

sources: About.com, How stuff works

PLEASE help me win the washer and dryer!

click here

(Where's the Heart of Your Home)

and tell me some of your laundry tips

Things are Getting Exciting!!

I'm sure by now you've seen my posts about the Samsung Washer and Dryer I would like LOVE to WIN!!

This contest is getting exciting, the comments are flying!!

The blogger with the MOST COMMENTS will WIN!

I hate to beg, but there are a few of us leading the race, and I know I have THE BEST READERS!!! and you all LOVE TO COMMENT and help a girl out right?

I mean, what's a TidyMom with out a nice washer and dryer? The set she has now belonged to her grandma, then passed to her mom and now TidyMom is using that set! YIKES that set is OLD! LOL

So lets see what you can do! - CLICK HERE and go to my post to help me WIN the WONDERFUL WASHER & DRYER!

You can leave as MANY COMMENTS as you wish - just remember, ANONYMOUS COMMENTS DO NOT COUNT! you can even just say "Good Luck" or talk about YOUR laundry rooms!

We have until Oct 2,

be sure to check in next week, I have planned lots of FUN!

♥Thanks for finding it in your heart to help a girl out!♥

I'm HOOKED on WINNING!!! and SAMSUNG!!

Head over to Julia's Hooked on Fridays to see what other's are HOOKED on!

I ♥ Faces - Completely Candid

I instantly thought of this pictures when I saw that this week's theme at I ♥ Faces is
"Completely Candid"



It's a picture I took of my mom and Sunshine on my mom's birthday back in June.

I don't remember exactly what Sunshine was doing, but it sure made Grandma laugh!
I love that when you convert to black and white, you "feel" the emotion in a picture.

It makes me smile that at 12 years old, she can still have fun with Grandma!♥

Check out all of the other wonderful candid shots this week at I♥Faces


Speaking of my Mom and Grandmas...
do you know that we have and use my mom's old washer and dryer,
and it belonged to my Grandma before my mom had it! LOL

Yes, I could REALLY REALLY use a new Samsung Washer & Dryer
and YOU could help me WIN by
clicking here
and leave me a comment!
You can comment as many times as you want!!
Thanks so much!

Where is the Heart of Your Home?

"Dinner! Time to EAT!"

Do you remember your mom calling those words when you were a kid? Do you remember running down the stairs to familiar smells and rushing to take your place at the table?

Samsung Home Appliances asked Twittermoms to share "Where is the heart of your home?" What room in your house celebrates the "life" of your family?

Ours would have to be our dinner table. Whether we are having frozen pizza, flank steak sandwiches or Lasagna, the dinner table is where important stuff happens. Our family discusses news of the day, stories are told, jokes are made and most importantly memories are made for all of us!

Twittermoms and Samsung Home Applicances have teamed up to give one lucky blogger who enters and gets the most comments on their blog posts will win a free Samsung Washer (WF448AAP) and Dryer (DV448AEP).

So Let's Hear It!
Where is the heart of your home?
Let's see how many comments I can get!!

*ANONYMOUS COMMENTS
DO NOT COUNT*
you CAN leave multiple comments though

The deadline to enter and to comment is 10/2/2009.

I'm hooked on winning a new Samsung Washer & Dryer
and our Family Dinner Table!
Click over to Hooked on Houses and see what other's are Hooked on this week!

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Don't forget to enter my Perfect Pocket Giveaway while you're here
Click here for Giveaway!