Wordless Wednesday

Stylish Blogger Award

 

Texas Type A Mom has given me the Stylish Blogger Award!  This is the first blog award I have received which is a pretty awesome thing since my little micro speck of the internet hasn’t been around for very long! Thanks Texas Type A Mom for this fun award, if you haven’t already, go check out Texas Type A Mom and enter her first giveaway- $25 GC to CSNstores!!

Here are the rules to getting this award:

• Thank and link back to the person who awarded you the award.
• Share 7 things about yourself.
• Award 15 other bloggers.
• Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

7 Things About Me:

1. I have 2 daughters, ages 6 & 2 1/2 … and am looking forward to the arrival of our first baby boy in May!
2. I live in Germany, courtesy of the US Marine Corps! 2 years down, with only 11 1/2 months left!
3. I am obsessed with Elephants! I have been collecting elephant paraphernalia since I was a wee one!
4. I have a great desire to give service to others! It makes me happy when I am helping someone else!
5. I love to drink the juice from both dill pickle and banana pepper jars! (I LOVE Vinegar)
6. I love love love flip flops! I will wear them until there are a few inches of snow out… after that I can’t risk getting frost bite! 
7. I have been in love with the Backstreet Boys since I was 13 years old! 

Since my blog is pretty much a newborn, I am pretty excited that I was chosen to for this cute award… but I do think that there are many talented bloggers out there that probably deserve this award more then I do!  Thanks again Texas A Type Mom!!

15 bloggers that deserve the stylish blogger award:

This Mama Blog Rocks

Ashley's Allowance

Lynn Spin

Discovering the me in Mommy

The Crafty Nest

Oh, Hello Universe

Shelayna's Blog

Sugar and Dots

Household 6 Diva

Tatertots and Jello

Passion and Paisley

I Heart Naptime

My Munoz Family

The Giveaway Queen

Winning Pursuits

$35 Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway- CLOSED

I am giving away a 35.00 Starbucks gift Card!

Ways to Enter:

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Starbucks and tell me your favorite beverage.

**If the Mandatory entry is not done first all extra entries will be deleted**

EXTRA ENTRIES:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and your email address so I can contact you in the event you win. You only need to put your email address one time.

• 1 entry if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect

• 2 entries if you Like Raenbows and Mud Puddles on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall that you entered.

• 2 entries if you add Raenbows and Mud Puddles button onto your blog (you need to leave your blog address)

• 3 entries if you blog about this giveaway (please leave link to verify)

The giveaway is open to US residents 18 years and older (excluding APO/FPO) as the gift card is only valid in the US and closes at Midnight EST on Tuesday January 11, 2011. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced on within 48 hours!  Good Luck!

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Happy New Year & Our first Giveaway- CLOSED!

2010 is done and gone, so in light of 2011, I thought the best way to kick off the New Year, was by having our first giveaway… from

 

I have just fallen in love with the products from Jamberry Nails, which as you might remember was my very first product review [found here] … they are the latest and greatest way to decorate and accessorize your nails!

The lovely ladies from Jamberry Nails sent me a sheet of nail shields to try out again, and this time I used my 6 year old to be my tester, and I have to say it was a LOT easier then having her sit and have me paint her nails!!

 

You can purchase your very own nail shields online at Jamberry Nails for $15.00!

OR

WIN it HERE: Jamberry Nails is offering one lucky reader a sheet of there nail shields right here at Raenbows and Mud Puddles!  

GIVEAWAY!
One reader will receive a free sheet of Jamberry Nail shields of there choosing.

Ways to Enter:

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Jamberry Nails and tell me what is your favorite design.

**If the Mandatory entry is not done first all extra entries will be deleted**

EXTRA ENTRIES:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and your email address so I can contact you in the even you win. You only need to put your email address one time.

• 1 entry if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
• 2 entries if you Like Raenbows and Mud Puddles on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall that you entered.
• 2 entries if you add Raenbows and Mud Puddles button onto your blog (you need to leave your blog address)
• 1 entry if you like Jamberry Nails on Facebook – leave your name.
  

Contest is open to US residents 18 years and older (including APO/FPO) and closes at Midnight EST on Friday January 7, 2011. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced on Sunday January 9th! Good Luck!

** No compensation was received for this post.  The sponsor: Jamberry Nails  sent me this product free of charge as part of the giveaway.**

Merry Christmas

 

I took a little break for the holiday, but I am coming at you this week.. with a GIVEAWAY! In the mean time,…

will be having a new addition around the 23rd of May… he will be arriving a little earlier then his actual due date due to make sure that all is good to go!

… SURPRISE!!

Merry Christmas!!

d

 

What is on your Holiday Wish list this year?

I have been checking out different blogs as of late, and thought that while I saw this as part of a giveaway that these are some fun questions just to ponder… so, while I am actually answering them, drop me a line, or post about your holiday wish list for this year.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

To enjoy each others company, and be full of gratitude for all the blessings we have.  For the great opportunities we have received as we have lived in Germany- the fun places we have visited, the culture that we have adopted, such blessings!

2. What is one of your Christmas or Chanukah nightly tradition?

On Christmas Eve we always gather up around the tree and read from the Scriptures about the birth of Christ.  It is important for our children (and us to remember) the meaning of Christmas is far from that of giving & receiving presents.  The gifts are just an added bonus!  After we have read, we each get to open up one present that may be already under the tree! Before we send the kids off to bed, we check to see where Santa is flying to see if he is close by!!

3. If you could ask Santa for one wish for yourself, what would it be?

I would ask Santa for enough money to be debt free, as cliché as it sounds, it would help alleviate a tremendous amount of stress in my life!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

We speak of the meaning of christmas, and enjoy nightly games and hot chocolate! When it gets cold enough for snow, we go out and have family nights playing and enjoying the beautiful winters in Germany!

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Growing up we played Scrabble, Monopoly, and Sorry! Sorry is now one of our oldest daughters favorite games to play!! 

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own  childhood?

The opening of one gift on Christmas Eve!

7. If price wasn’t an option and you could go away for the holidays where would you go?

On a fun family cruise away from the stress and daily grind of everyday life!

Hope that everyone is having a good Holiday Season so far… only 12 days left ‘til Christmas! May your holiday be full of love and laughter!

Am very excited…

I will be hosting my very first giveaway for one of my favorite companies in the next few weeks! Be on the look out, you won’t want to miss this!

In the mean time… 

I have to be honest, I am not that big on Christmas, it is a fun holiday for my children and my husband absolutely loves it, but… I can’t wait for December to be over with!  I am our families Grinch!! Year after year I try to find ways to get in the mood, its not that I don’t like giving, because I do, it’s just the fact that Christmas is much more about giving out expensive presents- its about the Spirit of Christ! At least for me anyway!

One way to cheer myself up over the fact that I am the “Grinch” is listening to Celine Dion’s Christmas CD“ These are the Special Times” She has the most amazing voice, I end up listening to “Oh Holy Night” over and over for the entire month of December…it drives my husband CRAZY!~

What are you doing to get yourself into the Holiday season?? Whatever it is, I sure hope you are enjoying yourself!

Tis the season to be Jolly…

-The Grinch