Author: Karie Herring

Karie Herring rambles of a former life in Phoenix, AZ while raising a teen and tween twins in their new home in Orlando, FL. She has been featured in AOL Money & Finance, Betty Confidential and Career School Now. She's a full-time technical writer, functional fitness athlete, overachieving wife and mom. She loves talking about maneuvering motherhood, womanhood, and her passion for essential oils and natural living.
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Orgasmic Review: Eden Fantasy’s Giveaway

Sex is such a great topic. Very open in my household, though we limit specifics for obvious reasons. I don’t need my six year old running off to school talking about quickies and Nooners. So if you are prudish, squeamish, or sex is taboo…..DO NOT READ THIS. Or do but don’t hate on me. 
 
I’m a Catholic. We’re taught that sex is a dirty, vile, disgusting, act that you save for the one you truly love.
– Paul Begala from his appearance on Bill Maher.
So when Nicole and Drew from Eden Fantasy’s contacted me about the fun stuff they offer surrounding sex and doing a review, I jumped them faster than my husband on a horny night! Now Eden Fantasy’s is terrific because they are not a “perv shop” like some people may think. Eden Fantasy’s is a great, upscale, adult, online retailer that sells more than just sex toys. Eden Fantasy’s also offers adult toys and vibrators for those who are into enhanced and or self-pleasure, but they also offer lingerie and love games to those who are looking for maybe just a bit of spice or a little extra heat in the bedroom.
I for one already have PLENTY of heat in the bedroom. You don’t get a single (Big G) and a double (the twins) from lack of heat! But with kids, you learn to be creative, take it where you can get it, and sometimes, even though there is heat, you need the spice!
My choice was tough, really, to kick up my spice level with the hubs. He travels a lot so we don’t get to “date” as much as we used to and babysitters….well few and far between. I looked at their lingerie and costumes, because I for one LOVE to dress up. Naked or fully dressed, I love to know what I wear is sexy and makes my man hot. I solicited his opinion to help in my quest for upping the boudoir action….BOY did I open a can of worms. You thought I was herny….I was getting Google messages like no tomorrow to check out links. He was like a panting dog in summer and I loved it, we had fun just shopping!
Finally we decided on a great new toy…a vibrator to be exact. But not just any old vibrator.
The Orgasmic Foreplay Kit.

I have to tell you that I was at first intimidated by the “gadget.” And by gadget I mean the Double Clicking your Mouse…gadget. I was like…hmm….could be interesting…never tried it….what the hell! The controls are super easy and the push button make handling a breeze. No fumbling for the “knob” to turn off or on. And the companion toy is great for interchanging with other toys. Made of soft jelly, not the typical hard silicone the toy is pliable and skin-friendly. We were just burning to get the package in….checking the mail all week.
Hubs and I received it on a Saturday before noon.
PERFECT!!
The timing couldn’t be better. We pawned Big G off to the neighbors to play. The twins….down for a good two to three hour nap. The house was ALL OURS!! We giggled and flirted like teenagers giddy to makeout when Mom and Dad are gone, opened the box, washed and readied our new toy, and skipped to the bedroom for some play time. We were all geared up, sweat was already starting to bead from us and we were still dressed! Hubs grabbed our pink foreplay friend, fired her up…..and….she was a one shotter. That’s right. We didn’t even get to play with her and she came and went before we did. Way to go hubs!
LAME. 

But never fear, Eden Fantasy’s has a SUPERB return policy. The instructions are easy to follow, just call your representative and easy peasy pumpkin pie, you are squared away. So we returned our pink foreplay friend and received the new one, talk about “bang for your buck.” Not as much planning went into our second go around for the Big O, but I gotta tell ya ladies. OH. MY. GOD. Truly there is nothing like the real deal with your man….but if the cat is away my mouse will play. I cannot explain it. But I loved the fact that I was a limp noodle when all was said and done. I had not slept that well in a LONG time like I did that night.

Here is Eden Fantasy’s Mission Statement:

EdenFantasys.com invites you to learn from others, share your experiences and re-discover sex. We offer online shopping you can trust, a welcoming community and a wealth of inspiring resources.

They also offer a wide seletion of products from as tame as candles to as hot as the toys, are a welcoming sex-positive community, hold the highest standards in online transaction (can totally vouch for that!), and have a great privacy policy.

With all of that, since I know you are hoping you don’t get screwed in this review…or maybe you do hope to get screwed…..here is the FABULOUS giveaway deets from Eden Fantasy’s and The Five Fish:

$50 Gift Card to Eden Fantasy’s
The rules of getting screwed in this giveaway are as follows
and you MUST do the following in order to be entered:
  • Tell me the one thing about sex for you. For example you might be prudish about sex, the use of toys, maybe talking about sex, is sex taboo to you and in your house, are you a closet freak? Tell me your one thing about sex. This HAS to be done before any other entries count. (Leave your email addy of course so we can contact you with the goods!)

Here are all your extra entries which will be LOADS of fun!

  • Visit Eden Fantasy’s and tell me what you would like for yourself or your partner
  • Follow my blog or tell me you already do (the button is at the bottom)
  • Follow me on Twitter or tell me you already do
  • Tweet this Giveaway (once per day until the end of the contest)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook (see my LEFT sidebar)
  • Technorati fave this blog (button also on LEFT sidebar)
  • Stumble my Blog
  • Blog about this giveaway with a link back to me (Worth THREE extra entries)
  • For extra FUN, Follow and Tweet up Nicole, Drew, and Eden Fantasy’s about your fantasy, position, or fun toys! Be sure to tell them I sent ya! (Worth THREE more entries)

~~Be sure you leave a comment for each item, such as Fanned, Followed, Tweeted, these are extra entries for winning. I don’t count them unless you leave me the comment love. Again, don’t forget your email address too, you can’t get screwed if you don’t leave me your contact! LOL~~

GOOD LUCK!!
CONTEST ENDS SEPT. 25TH @ 10AM ARIZONA TIME.

 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

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Sounds Fishy

Not this time. No “fishy” business here. Just wanted to wrap my Fish Head around my Fishy Readers!!

If you could take less than two minutes to answer these few questions I would be eternally grateful. Just follow the easy peasy link, which I will also post on the site if you lose this post. Thanks so much for your cooperation. I just wanted to get a better idea about my readers. Have a great day!!

Karie

The Five Fish Survey

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Yoplait Fiber One 50 Calorie Yogurt Giveaway & Review

The folks over at Yoplait have been INGENIOUS with creating foods especially for those who are on a diet but still want flavor and those who are pressed for time. As a mom of three kids, two are 18 month old twins, time is but a luxury. Meals have to be made and made fast. Leaving me scrambling in the kitchen for something that resembles a meal and a meal that is healthy and filling. Moms are the ultimate short order cooks. So when I am left feeling hungry and not quite satisfied after my rushed meal, or I have a craving for some snacks, or my ultimate comfort food……ICE CREAM…..I have been reaching for the Yoplait Fiber One 50 Calorie Yogurt.
Can you see that!!?? (Please click to see my great circling job!!)
50 calories! 3 grams of protein, ZERO fat, not to mention LOW CARB, look at the 5 grams of fiber. That is the secret to this tasty snack is the fiber.
Fiber is great for your diet. Hello ladies, having trouble with your “deuce?” Yeah, can you say FIBER!
Plus 20 percent of the Recommended Daily Value of fiber. It is also a good source of calcium and vitamins A and D, making this an all-around great choice for dieters and those watching their weight.
Here is the true “skinny” for all of you dieters and moms out there who are curious as to how good this yogurt can really taste, especially at 50 calories. Take it from Hungry Girl okay?
The folks over at My Blog Spark sent me this great Yoplait Snack pack and the opportunity to go get some Yoplait Fiber One yogurt for myself to try out. Truly I love this stuff!! I thought, “Man this is gonna taste like diet food….total ass.” NO WAY!! Still the same great super creamy taste that Yoplait has to offer without the guilt! I can have the perfect lunch of a grilled chicken salad with a side of yogurt and I am completely satisfied. I get my sweet fix without the guilt. I have to admit that the Key Lime pie IS. MY. FAVE! Not too bitter, not too sweet and hey the strawberry is fabulous with chunks of real strawberry inside. YUMMO!
What is even better than telling you about this great snack?
I get to give THREE lucky readers a gift bag that includes a Fiber One yogurt VIP coupon (good for a free 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt), cooler pack, and other storage items for you to carry your snacks and yogurt- it’s great for work and other on-the-go activities!

Here is how you can enter to win:
  • Leave me a comment telling me what your diet secrets are, your guilty snacking pleasures (mine is ice cream), and or what are you doing to manage your weight?
Want additional entries for these goodies?
  • Follow my blog (the button is at the bottom) and tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this Giveaway (up to twice a day!) Leave a comment for each tweet status
  • Subscribe to my feed (on the left)
  • Fan the Fish on Facebook (on the left)
  • Fave me on Technorati
  • Stumble my Blog (not this post)

PLEASE be sure you leave your EMAIL address along with corresponding links for Tweets, etc.
Giveaway will end on September 18, 2009 @ 10am Arizona Time.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!
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Dirty Little Secrets

Families are KNOWN for dirty little secrets. All families. No family is without secrets of some sorts. My family by far was and is THE. WORST. Before anyone thinks I am going to post anything awful….put your pistols away and read with a VERY open mind.
I am an Adult Child of an Alcoholic.
What the hell does that mean to you? My dad is an alcoholic. Was an alcoholic. Probably always will be an alcoholic. For the families that hold secrets they called their dads or moms or whomever the family member is and was, “a drinker.” The “drinker” was the socially acceptable term for the alcoholic, because everyone is/was in denial. Which is A-OK, I was in denial, I was clueless, I also suffered from the secrets, the disease and the illnesses that accompany alcoholism.
My dad is/was like any other dad. He was good hearted, loving, smiling, a provider. But his nasty illness to binge on alcohol, drugs, women, everything is/was addicting to him. My mom, she was/is like any other mother. Heart of gold, will do anything for her kids, loving, happy, a provider. But my mom did a very good job of hiding what my dad was doing. His late nights. His hangovers where he was ill and puking from mixing booze with drugs. His illness because he is probably intolerant altogether to alcohol causing him migraines and physical illness. His cheating on my mother. His lack of concern for his children.
These behaviors went on for MANY years. So many years so that I began to be the caretaker in my family. My dad checked out after the birth of my brother, was unseen with my sister, and my mother began working full time to help pay the bills that my father racked up from unnecessary purchases. Oh and did I mention his bipolar disorder too? Friendly combination, addiction and mental illness. The behaviors went on. I became Mom. At the ripe age of EIGHT. I was dressing my siblings for school, feeding them, and caring for myself because my father was still passed out drunk from nights before, or flat out failed to come home. My mother worked nights as a nurse, her ability to be there full time for us kids was obviously limited as my parents were a two parent income household, they both had to work. Finally after two years of the continued misery of my fathers black hole spiral my mother threw in the towel and they got divorced.
Lots of parents get divorced. But I never knew why. I thought, they just don’t get along anymore. Not until I was old enough did the Big Pink Elephant finally receive recognition for being in my life. My dad is an alcoholic. His illness and failure to accept his illness killed my family. A lot of my family was lost because of his illness. My siblings, we rarely speak. Because of so many hurts within a dysfunctional alcoholic or addiction ridden family. We have pains from the family unit and so we turned in on each other, we would fend for ourselves. Not full time, but when we would visit my dad we would. I remember a time when his first wife, whom he began seeing while still married to my mother, came to visit. My father locked myself and my younger siblings out of his apartment with just a few dollars so that we could walk a mile or so to the local Circle K to buy candy and a Thirstbuster. Because he needed a fix.
I am 100 times more likely to become an alcoholic. I choose not to be. I watched my father tear me to pieces like a lion to a lamb. I was called every curse word you could think of…..I can recall and cite verbatum those words, those comments. They sting. They pain. That the one man in my life who should have been my TRUE knight in shining armor was the root of all evil. His secret. His illness. The illness that would tear me to pieces name by name, inch by inch, until my self-worth lay in a puddle of tears. The illness that led me to believe I was the fattest and ugliest person on Earth. The illness that led me to believe I would never be smart enough. His illness, his drinking said those horrible things. The illness he once attested to having. He came to grips with his addiction, his illness. He was sober….for a year. I lived with him during that time. I got to know a bit of my dad. I had someone I could talk to without being called names, without the condescending tone, the belittling, the pain, the sting. But it all changed. I moved out because I was 19, I had a boyfriend (the now hubs), and his divorce became final.
My Dad died to me that year when he began drinking again. He still calls me to this day and I resent him. I am indifferent to his “love” and affection because he sacrificed his sobriety for a woman, for lack of control over a situation. A woman that will never love him again. Will never marry him. Will never speak to him casually. That woman was not my mother. He even told me once that he only truly loved this woman, as if he had forsaken the other woman he was once married to, my mother. My family still does not talk about my dad, his addiction, the pain he causes our family because he chooses to drink, the destruction he causes emotionally and at once physically because of the alcohol. Because his drink means more than the love and respect of his children. His drink is more important that to live his life sober, for him, to enjoy that natural high of life. He is so fully operational as a round the clock drunk that he is delusional, half demented, and quite literally the saddest person ever. I never talk about the truth of my dad because dirty little secrets suck. They are painful. They are damaging.  But I talk about them because alcohol touches all families, somehow, someway, with someone they love. Secrets hurt families, and so we talk about them to put an end to the cycle of hurt.
What I do know is that no matter how damaging and painful those secrets may be, I want my kids to know.
I want my kids to know that I am an Adult Child of an Alcoholic. I had the worst teachers for dealing with pain, emotion, anger, rage, hurt, disappointment, fear, sadness, jealousy. These feelings were never dealt with in my family because we could never show people that anything was wrong with our family. That we had a secret to keep. So we kept up the perfect front, the perfect life, perfect feelings. I want my kids to know that being sad, mad, jealous, angry, feeling rage for a short moment is great! Embrace it.  I want my kids to know that I drink once in a blue moon. Having an alcoholic beverage is okay. Having one everyday is not okay. Feeling you need one everyday, every few hours, ALL day, is not okay. The same can be said with drugs. I have had my bout with addiction, its not pretty. I will also share with my kids this bout. I want them to know that they will make choices on their own. I will always love them, just as I do my father. But I will not follow that path. I will share with them that I do not blame my parents, I blame the illness, the lack of knowledge about how to work through the illness, I blame the lack of will.
On the outside you would never have known my family was sick. That we had secrets to keep. That the secrets were killing our family and little bits of our souls. In the end…I turned out to be a stronger, knowledgeable, more compassionate and empathetic person with the drive stronger than anything a human can describe, and a will and spirit that will never be broken.
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Making Exceptions with Kids

While reading a great post by Kristin I was totally motivated to write this post.

 

My inspiration was by her stating,
“You may see a graphic of a mom and some children but where is the mothering? The only time I ever see their children are in pictures and brief statements on their blogs or in the reviews they love to complain about. The blogs I like to read are blogs that have some insight on human compassion.” (Kristin @ Our Ordinary Life, Aug. 4, 2009) Later I also read a post that REALLY struck a chord for this post. Go check her out.
AMAZING woman.
These posts hit me because I know I personally like to bring out my compassion not only as a mom but as a woman. So this post is really wanting to hear feedback because this is a very delicate subject matter.
When DH and I were trying to conceive we finally reached a point where we agreed that we would adopt. Conception at the time was NOT happening for us and so we thought we would open our heart and homes to a child in need. A child that needed a family because one was unavailable due to some other mitigating circumstances. However, we successfully conceived many times over now. Some heartbreaking losses and three magnificent successes! But we me occasionally get the itch for another child. While I personally do not think I could sanely raise another child, I do know I can do it with all my heart and love. So adoption is definitely a possibility for us in our future.
Adoption also brings me to this scenario that has come into our home. Big G has a great little friend, a neighbor friend to be exact and they are roughly the same age. His friend we found from him parents not long ago is that he is adopted. Had no idea. Really none of my business, but interesting. We shared our stories of conception and her inability to carry full term as she would risk her own life and could not become a martyr to a child. In which I agree. I don’t think you can be a successful mom if you are dead before the child enters the world or shortly after their entrance. She chose to adopt which I support with every ounce of my being. She treats her son no different than any other child, she loves him unconditionally, cares for him as if she bore him in her womb, and makes no exceptions to his unspoken status that he is their legally adopted son, she treats him as she would her own flesh and blood.
I beg the question then why do parents make exceptions for children? Why do they treat them differently? Adopted or not? Different living conditions or not? I believe each child should be treated based on his or her needs, but not because of their situation. For example I have two sons and a daughter. My sons and my daughter will have different needs, clearly because of their gender. When the boys start bitching about my daughter getting a bra…..I will supply them with jock straps. Argument closed. But I do not favor or treat my daughter any more special or differently than I do the boys, vice verse, the boys are not treated any differently than my daughter. I love them all just the same. Exactly the same. My relationships with them may be different based on their needs, but that is because I am giving them what THEY need.
So why make exceptions?
My scenario is based on an incident yesterday with Big G’s friend. They were playing as all boys do, rambunctious, disorderly, super hero, arms flailing, screaming, gun slinging boys. At one point all was quiet. I figured, Okay, they are playing Lego’s….I can find peace.
WRONG
I happened upon a catastrophic mess of out of this world proportions from Big G and his friend. Now I may have exaggerated, but definitely THE LARGEST mess I have EVER cleaned of G’s. The boys had decided to half disassemble the closet, pulling down shelves and rods, emptying shelves, and wedging the closet door so inoperable.
I. About. Had. A. Conniption.
I kept my cool. I voiced my disdain for their behavior, for the mess. Both of them. Both guilty, both at fault. Did I also mention the 100+ Hot Wheels cars strewn all over the floor that the sea of metal prevented you from seeing the carpet? Yeah. So I disciplined the boys. I made them clean the mess. I told them that the mess was unacceptable, they both had to clean. That this type of situation does not go on in this house. Make a mess is one thing, to destroy is another. DH was involved in this situation as well. We were both disciplining to show a united front. When the neighbor friend was receiving his dose he started to wedge himself between the wall and the open door as to hide and stated he was “scared and afraid.” Now my first reaction was to twirl my head and see what exactly was going on.
I listened and realized the boy was playing DH. He was trying to weasel out of the responsibility of taking ownership for his actions. So my Bullshit sensor went off, I smelled it too. But the mom part of me wondered if maybe this was a product of his previous environments in foster homes, in foster care. DH backed off and was almost consoling to the boy, in which he got his way and proceeded to no longer clean but to mill about. All the while I was cursing profane thoughts in my head keeping from screaming whistling like a boiling tea kettle.
His mom came to pick him up shortly after the ordeal as she was returning home and offered to swing by. DH met her at the door and kindly and disarmingly explained the situation. I walked up and laughed about how I was ready to lose my mind. Mom to mom, we were on the level with each other. We are no bullshit types of moms where we are loving and kind, but not afraid to assert ourselves. We also explained the “scared” incident to which she confirmed my beliefs that he does that at home, tells her that too to get out of the situation. Laughingly I agreed that you should be scared of having to pay for consequences of unacceptable actions. She wholeheartedly agreed.
However, I still wondered. DH and I debated the situation again about disarming a child who claimed “fear” in the presence of an assertive discipline. We did not raise our voices, we did not yell, we did not threaten, hit, we voiced our clear disdain and disapproval at their disorderly actions.
What would you do? Would you have reacted the same by disarming and almost consoling or would you continue on saying “No one here will hurt you, we are telling you that this type of behavior and actions are unacceptable in our home.” Because as a parent I wonder where the line may be drawn, do you make exceptions based on a child’s previous life and environment? Or do you make exceptions period? When? How? For whom? Are there mitigating circumstances?
Believe me I am a parent who is still learning. I know nothing about a lot of things and parenting is one I work on everyday. Parenting is an ever evolving job and manual.
So what would you do? What are your exceptions?

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Evolution of Woman driver

This will be my little pictorial for you…..my evolution of a woman driver. 
I hope you find this as enjoyable as I did when I tripped down memory lane….
I also totally understand now why women are recipients of grief surrounding their driving abilities. I also hope that MEN see why we evolve into such terrible drivers. We go from one extreme to the next with our vehicles. So evolving with our vehicles is a bit of a challenge.
Let us take a gander at the exhibits:
My first REAL car that DH and I bought. (I was 20 in this pic)

Little flashy? Sure. Fast? You bet! 1996 Chevy Camaro RS

Then I started working in the car business circa 1997 ish…..and guess what we got in on trade in 1999

Yup, a 1997 BMW 318ti. Cheap payment too…LOVED that car!!
But then we got engaged. We were planning a wedding….and our future…maybe some kids.
So we did the dumbest thing ever

We traded in the perfectly good BMW for an Oldsmobile.
Can you say STUPID!! Yea….
Supposedly we needed a sedan right away since we thought we might be having kids like
right away….like right after the wedding, like I would get pregnant immediately.
STUPID.
So we got tired of that hunk of metal and I was BURIED like a casket in that car. Luckily I worked in the car business so used cars were a dime a dozen and the easiest way to get out of some negative equity
and the only thing to absorb negative equity…..is another cash cow American vehicle
 

And so I bought a Mustang. I really love Mustang’s….just not that year….I was thinking a 1969 fastback. You know the one right….Steve McQueen….Bullet! Yea, thats more my style. But then I got the hankering after driving this car…..to get back into an import as I loved the fast imports.
And heck…it’s only 2002 by now so I need a new car.

VOILA!!

The Lexus IS300. My pimp daddy ride of all time. This car was fast. It was sleek. Stylish. It had all carbon fiber on the inside and a racing shifter. Leather seats. It screamed HOT mama for me. But as you can see from the pic I am clearly NOT a mama there…hot….but not a mama….and what was even more pathetic….
I thought I was FAT!
Yeah.
I was a whopping 128 ish maybe! Yeah and I thought I was fat….where? On my toes? Okay. Back to the cars and the evolution of a woman driver. Well that was 2002 ish or so and then WHAM! 
PREGO
So I had the sedan (see above) but the car seat was so not copascetic for the back seat of the Lexus…At.All.
Why not get another Lexus!!??
Oh, my SUV, yuppy, mama, pretentious bitch car. I loved that car. The soft italian tan leather.
The six disc in dash CD player.
All the creature comforts any yuppy snob would want.
Except the payment sucked ass!
And when you start staying at home with your kid…..not making any cash……the car has gotta go.
So we sold that poor girl too. I actually went without a car for about 6 months saving some cash.
Until I couldn’t take it anymore. Again, we did the most responsible thing possible.
Bought this
 
Real Smart!
Hey, at the time it was perfect. Diesel was only like $1.99 a gallon while unleaded was $2.50 or something totally crazy like that. It hauled the three of us comfortably, with all the dogs and our gear when we would travel. Big G loved it. I loved it. People got the HELL OUT of MY WAY! (loved that!)
Until.
We got pregnant…..AGAIN.

With TWINS.
 
DH was driving an Acura TL.
I brought him over to the snobby ass, drive an import luxury car dark side.
I had the big truck.
Have you seen a LARGE pregnant woman maneuver her bulbous ass in and out of a lifted four wheel drive?
Not pretty. Not easy either. 
His car wasn’t cutting it either.
So we did what all responsible drivers and car owners do……
Trade ’em in
And here is where the evolution went from one extreme to the other. Based on all previous vehicles speed was highly optional considering the performance factor of these vehicles. Or at least the fabulous aesthetics and damn nice creature features. I could rocket all over the place in each of those vehicles. I have the shoddy driving record with SEVERAL recorded and unrecorded tickets.
I actually got 4 red light camera tickets….but my plates were out of state so they went to my old address….
and damned that I didn’t live there anymore to get them in the mail with my face on it.
As I said we were responsible. Now with children numbered two and three on the way. We began shopping. We needed that vehicle to haul all three kids, especially two in infant carriers and car seats.
Lucky for Daimler Chrysler, they overhauled the look and features of their flagship vehicle in their fleet.
 
I am a damn sucker.
I swore. I promised. 
I cursed ever driving a gall dang
MINIVAN!
But I sucked it up.
I am that mom. I am that woman driver. 
I am damn proud to drive a minivan to haul all three of my kids, my fat ass dog, stroller, luggage, groceries, the husband, the trash, plywood, bikes, I can haul anything in that thing. I even have a bumper sticker….
“walk on the wild side….have twins”
They wonder why we drive like shit.
We go from driving a vehicle like Al Unser’s to driving Miss Freaking Daisy in a minivan.
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*CLOSED* 200 Custom Postcards from UPrinting: Live Giveaway!!

Let’s get the show on the road with all the goodies and deets!!
I am stoked about the 200 postcards from UPrinting because they are so versatile!
Use them for anything not just postcards.
The cards come in different sizes of your liking: 4×6, 4.25×6, 5×7″. Not to mention the quality of the cards with 14pt gloss or matte, 13 pt uncoated and Full Color on both sides (4/4).
Order them and use them for custom greeting cards or  custom postcards to share with the ones you love.
Here are the deets:
Just leave me your comment…in the form of a coherent sentence, with your email addy of course
Leave me your Tweet info in a comment
Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie!!
The more comments you leave and the more comments you leave with your tweets the more chances you have to win! I would hate for this giveaway to go to waste!!

Enjoy, be nice, play fair! The giveaway will end tonight @ 10pm Arizona (PDT)Winner will be chosen from Random.org and posted by Midnight in this post.

WINNER

Pretty sad I can only give ONE away when I have this many entrants.
(insert sarcasm and sick humor)

Congrats Shelly!!
Your coupon codes will be emailed to you directly from UPrinting!
Thanks so much ladies for entering.
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Awe Chuck It

Has everything become disposable?
Is everything so expendable that we can just chuck it, toss it, throw it away?
Do manufacturers make anything that last for ages anymore, or has everything become part of our throw away society? Awe to hell with it, chuck it.
Awe, it’s got a stain….it won’t turn on…..it isn’t touched anymore.
Do these sound familiar in your home? They did in mine.

 

I have a hard time throwing out something that is perfectly fine, that could use a screw driver, or maybe a hammer to the side of it (like my garbage disposal when it stopped working). Diapers I even have a hard time with buying disposable, but unfortunately a diaper service for the cloth diapers is out of the the budget at the moment. I cannot throw away toys….not purposely…Lego’s in the vacuum don’t count. I have a hard time with throwing away ruined clothes, dishes, anything that is of use.

 

More and more our society is filling landfills, sides of the road, you name it, with STUFF that could be used, re-used, recycled, refurbished, overhauled, donated, you name a use and something could be reused.

 

T-shirts – make great rags for dusting, painting, cleaning. If you sew a button on a small swatch you can use it as a scrubber for your dishes to really dig into the grime, plus you can wash it and reuse it again. Jeans – make them into shorts, or cut them up to make patches for your kids jeans. Or donate! Jeans never go out of style. Old sheets – valances, pillow cases, table linens or even decorative napkins when pressed, just cut and use some sew tape if you are not domestically inclined or if you are….bust out the sewing machine.
A million things in your home can be reused for the simplest things that you don’t have to go out and buy new or replace. But some things inevitably do need to be replaced, however, others don’t but households toss them because the items become aesthetically unappealing (like sun faded toys) or they want the newest edition.
My toys….all sun faded. Part of living in the desert with 100 degree weather four months out of the year and if we are lucky a week a year of rain. But those toys don’t work any less because they are sun faded. They are not brittle or unsafe, just kinda ugly. My kids still play with them just the same and when they grow out of them I might sell them for dirt cheap at a garage sale for other children to enjoy. Or heck, donate them to a women’s shelter or the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation.
So what do you decide to keep or save? Are you a “chuck it” or keep it person?
What items do you reuse in your home? What are some keepers?
What are the chuckers?
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500 Business Cards Giveaway from DigitalRoom

Are you running into a snag when out and about and you don’t have a business card with you or something to give a friend, client, or networking associate that has your contact information. Are you left searching for a pen and paper or fumbling through your cell phone to add the contact or they are doing the same? Get your own personalized business card.

The cards do not need to even be business related!

I just got my FABULOUS business cards done for my blog! Yup you got it! I love my blog and myself so much that I created my own business card to pass out that has my blog URL, my contact information and all of my networking like Twitter, Facebook, Whrrl!! No more searching for that info when you meet me.These business cards are fantastic for all the choices too, just take a gander what DigitalRoom.com offers:

  • Choose size: 2×3.5”, 2×3”, 2×2″
  • Choose paper:  14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated
  • Choose Color:  (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside
I know I had fun with the customizable business card sizes and of course the die cut business cards where you can round off your edges for a more unique look and feel. What is even the best part about this offer is the quantity, the quality, and YOU get to build your own business cards. Upload your own design or build one with their design service.
I know I had fun building my card and this is the way they turned out:
So now I have my professional business cards for my employer and my personal business cards just for me for networking and getting what I do for my personal business out there. What will you build your business cards or use them for?
That’s right! You get a chance to win 500 Business Cards!
Here are the deets and most importantly 
 ALWAYS LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDY!!!
  •  Tell me what you would print on your business cards
Additional entries, up those odds of winning folks!!
  • Follow my blog
  • Blog about this giveaway
  • Subscribe to my feed (I do check)
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway (once a day entry!!)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook! (See the sidebar option)
  • Digg my blog
  • Stumble my blog (not the post…le blog)
  • Technorati fave the Fish
Now the giveaway ends on September 10, 2009 @ 10am Arizona time. Best of luck and lots of fun!!

 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

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Sloppy Joes

The messy, saucy, warm, crumbly, meaty goodness in a warm, fluffy bun. The beloved Sloppy Joe.
Now I am a classy broad of sorts, I love my fish, my filet, my Faux Grois, something you use a knife and fork to eat, but I really love me my Sloppy Joe. This is a meal where I can really dig in and let loose. Last night, was a Sloppy Joe night. I don’t mean the open a can of Manwich type of Sloppy Joe night. I mean the real flavor, the taste, the ultimate mess of a homemade Sloppy Joe that guess what? You can make too! No can. No bullshit. Just open your pantry or your fridge to the loads of condiments in your door. Here are the deets for the easiest, tastiest, Sloppy Joe’s you will ever sink your teeth into…..ergo…..the rest will land in your lap….or like me….on my boobs.
1-2 pounds of ground beef or Turkey (if you are a dieting type person…like moi)
NOW, these ingredients all depend on the amount of meat AND how Sloppy you want that Joe.
1-2 cups of Ketchup
3T – 1/4 c of Yellow Mustard
1/2 – 1 cup of BBQ Sauce if you like that zippety sweet taste in your Joes
1/4 – 1/2 c of brown sugar
2-4T of Vinegar
1/4 c. Diced onions (optional)
1/4 c. Diced Bell pepper (optional)
BUNS (mmmmm…..buns)
  1.  Brown all meat with optional vegetable, while meat is browning mix together the vinegar and brown sugar to dissolve.
  2. Add sugar mixture to ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce, mixing throughly so that a smooth creamy consistency is reached.
  3. Drain meat of any fats and liquids and return to pan
  4. Add sauce, stir thoroughly until all meat is coated.
  5. Cook for 2 more minutes
VOILA!
Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie. Sloppy Joes in a snap. Really who doesn’t love a Sloppy Joe?
My Big G…who doesn’t like anything that doesn’t rhyme or sound like chicken told me this:
“Mom, this is the bestest meal ever. It makes my stomach feel real good! Oh! SO! DELISH!”
I know buddy…..I rock as a lazy chef.