A Day To Remember

While you are spending time with your family and friends today, please take a moment to remember those who have sacrificed for us (now and in the past), and those who have lost their lives or have been hurt, lost a limb or more, so that we could remain free.

Please have fun, be safe and enjoy spending time with those around you.  But DO NOT forget what today really means.

Remember,
BrendaLea

Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice Review and Giveaway

We eat a lot of rice in my house.  And I am always trying to find ways of getting the boys to eat healthier.  It's not always easy to do.  My Mom (rest her soul) used to make a lot of rice dishes, and now when I want to make myself feel better, fell closer to her, I follow her recipes.  One of my favorites, is her Cinnamon Rice which is easy to make and taste great.  We love it for breakfast or as a snack.

Cinnamon Rice:

2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup milk
1 Tlbs butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
sugar and cinnamon to taste

Mix above ingredients together and enjoy.  Told you it was easy.

And now with the New Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice, it is not only tasty (the boys could not tell the difference, nor could I) but a much healthier option for us.  With 4 grams of fiber per serving, and the taste and texture of white rice, it's the perfect addition to any shopping list.

I know I will be using the Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice on a regular basis now.  And it will replace my standard white rice on my shopping list.

You can find many great recipes at Uncle Ben's, and if you sign up at Uncle Ben's you can get a .75 cents off coupon right now.

My Grade:  A+

About:

New UNCLE BEN'S Whole Grain White Rice is made with natural ingredients and low in fat.  Whole Grain White Rice combines the familiar taste, texture, and cooking time of white rice with the goodness of whole grains.

Nutritional Claims & Product Benefits

• Good Source of Fiber
• 45g Whole Grains per Serving*
• Low Fat
• No Saturated Fat
• 0g Trans Fat
• Cholesterol Free
• Made with Natural Ingredients
• No Preservatives
• No Artificial Colors
• Vegetarian
• No MSG
• Supports a Healthy Heart†

†As part of a diet low in saturated fat & cholesterol.
*The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming 48g (or 3-oz. equivalents) of whole grains per day.

ENTER TO WIN

I received a few boxes of the rice along with some aprons to share from Uncle Ben's via Mom Central to share with friends and family.  Below you can enter for your chance to win one of two aprons.

Mandatory entry:  Tell me the name of one recipe you could use this New UNCLE BEN'S Whole Grain White Rice in?

**You MUST do the mandatory Entry! All bonus entries will be deleted if it's not done first!**

*BONUS ENTRIES*

{Leave separate comments for each bonus entry}

1. Follow me on twitter {1 entry}
2. Tweet the following {1 entry}

RT @prpldy - GIVEAWAY -  1 of 2 Aprons -  Ends June 4th -Your chance to win -  http://j.mp/c4JcZx  #UncleBens

3. Subscribe to my blog {1 entries}

4. Follow me on google friend connect {1 entry}

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a direct link to the post {1 entry}

6. Add my blog to your blog roll {1 entry}

**RULES**

• 
  
  
  Open to the US
• 
  
  
  Giveaway ends June 4, 2010 at 12(noon) CST
• 
  
  
  Winners will be chosen via Random.Org., and contacted by email
• 
  
  
  Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email, or another winner will be chosen

I was not compensated for this review, I did receive a box of rice and an apron (to conduct the review), with others to giveaway. All opinions are my own.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

So much coming your way!

I am so excited!

I have some great reviews and giveaways coming real soon.  Some are for food items.  Others will be for leisure time.  A few very useful items.  And one to help keep a terrible pest away.  I am really excited about that one. 

my newly remodeled kitchen

The other day I received my Carolina Pad prize pack that I won from Erin's blog:  Mrs. Cox Slice O'Heaven.  It's just like the one Erin received (picture below) but my laptop sleeve is lime green and white dots just like my kitchen, where my desk is.  Everything matches so well.  When my Sister stopped by and I was showing her the items, she said "How did they know your colors!"  It was funny... guess you had to be here.  But she was right, it's like they knew what to send me

Hope you have a great day and don't forget to come back, one giveaway starts tomorrow.

BrendaLea

Look What I Got in the Mail Yesterday

Have you heard of Savvy Cents?  If not, check them out.  She has these gorgeous wallets that are reasonably priced, that allow you to be well organized and help you with your budget.  Instead of carrying various envelopes with your allowance for the week or month for items such as groceries, dining out, etc, the wallet has divider tabs that you can label.  There is also room for a checkbook, slots for credit cards or store savings cards, and your drivers license.

Thanks to Andrea from the blog:  Moody Mama Says, I won a black patent leather one (like the picture above) earlier this month and it arrived yesterday.  I love it and wanted to say  'Thanks' to both Andrea and Savvy Cents for this wonderful gift.

BrendaLea

Powerade Play vitamin enhanced sports drink for kids Review

I love water, as do my two wonderful Grandsons, and we drink our fair share as you know from my previous post. But from time to time we want a change. A little bit of flavor instead of plain ole water. Many times the boys will want soda, but I prefer to bring out the Powerade. And now I can bring out the all NEW Powerade Play, for the boys.  The boys love the taste and I love that they get something with less sugar and added vitamins that the boys can surely use.

Now when the boys are playing outside this Summer or active in their various sports, I can rest assured that with the Powerade Play they will re-hydrate themselves with something that is good for them with less sugar and still taste great.  Because the boys can be picky about what they eat and drink, I was tickled that they really did enjoy this new Powerade Play.

You will soon be able to find Powerade Play on your local Grocers shelves for about $3.19 for a 6 pack of 12 oz bottles (love the smaller size bottle for the smaller hands) in several flavors:  orange, fruit punch, grape, and mixed berry.

My Grade:   A+
Because:  less sugar, taste great and the boys will drink it, replenishes electrolyte lost from sweating, from a company I already trust.

From the Company:

POWERADE PLAY™

Sports drink for the young athlete



POWERADE® hydrates and energizes many of the country’s best athletes. Now, the brand introduces POWERADE PLAY, a great option for the next generation of superstars



POWERADE PLAY blends LESS sugar, MORE vitamins and GREAT taste



Parents and Coaches of active youngsters will appreciate PLAY’s benefits:


- 25% less sugar than leading sports drink


- Enhanced with Vitamin C (100% of Daily Value) and Zinc (20% DV) to help support a healthy immune system


- Loaded with B-Vitamins (20% DV) B3, B5, B6 + B12


- 100% natural flavors


POWERADE PLAY will also feature POWERADE’s ION4® advanced electrolyte system which helps replenish four electrolytes lost in sweat -- sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium


Packaging will include illustrations of partner athletes Ryan Howard, Chris Paul and Venus Williams




I was not paid for this review.  I did receive a 6 pack of the orange flavor so that we could give our honest opinion of the product.

Honestech Audio Recorder Deluxe Giveaway

How many of us still have cassette tapes that we no longer listen to because they are not CDs?  I probably have close to 150+, but now there is this fabulous tool along with software that will turn your cassettes into MP3 files so that you can burn the music you love onto CDs.  I have a ton of older music that I love such as Brenda Lee, The Doors, Eagles, Beatles, Ros Stewart, and many, many more.  I really need one of these.  You can win this by going to FAVE Crafts and entering.  You have until May 28th to enter.

Good Luck,
BrendaLea

Yummy Recipe for a Blueberry Mojito

Truvia is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener made with rebiana, the best-tasting part of the stevia plant.  Truvia offers consumers a new, natural way to reduce the number of calories in their diet.  It is 200 times sweeter than sugar; one packet of Truvia provides the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar.  Not only can Truvia be used to sweeten tea, coffee, cereal, fruit, etc., but you can also cook with it!  Check out great recipes at www.truvia.com.

Celebrity Chef Sam Talbot, best known as a semi-finalist on Season 2 of Bravo's "Top Chef," uses Truvia instead of sugar as an easy way to reduce the numbers of calories in his recipes without giving up sweetness or flavor.  Diagnosed at a young age with juvenile diabetes, Sam's cooking is a reflection of his insistence on fresh, healthy and natural ingredients.

Check out Sam's recipe for a Blueberry Mojito that uses Truvia instead of sugar.  This is the perfect summer cocktail!

Blueberry Mojito 

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 lemon wedges

4 lime wedges

16 blueberries

20 mint leaves

Crushed ice

1 ounce fresh lime juice

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

8 ounces of your favorite rum (aged)

16 packets of Truvia(tm) natural sweetener

Directions
In a cocktail shaker muddle the blueberries, mint leaves and lemon- lime wedges. Add the crushed ice, lemon and lime juice and Truvia(tm) natural sweetener and shake well. Stain over cubed or crushed ice and garnish with lemon wedge and mint sprig

Hooded Towel for Summer

Here is a great video on how to make a hooded towel for Summer from  the DIY Dish.  To use at the pool or beach, or even after a bath.  It's so easy to make and you can personalize this so many different ways.

You could use rick-rack around the hood or on the bottom of the towel.  You could add some silk flowers, or machine embroidery.  Even if you don't machine embroider (like me, I don't) you could embroider by hand.  Use some pre-made appliques as there are many to choose from at your local craft store.  Even a ruffle or two would be cute for a little girl.  These would make great gifts for new babies, Grandchildren, your own children, or how about your Nieces and Nephews.  These would even be great birthday gifts for neighborhood kids.  This is also instructions to make a cute little carrying pouch that is easy to make as well.



I might even think about making one for myself using a bath sheet.  I know there are times that I have went to the pool in the early part of the swimming season and when I got out of the water I would be freezing.  The hooded towel sure would keep me much warmer than just a towel.  Hey, I am a big kid at heart.  What can I say.

And if you visit the DIY Dish, you can enter to win an assortment of thread along with a storage drawer from Embroidery.com.

Have a great day and get crafting,

BrendaLea

Router Kit Giveaway

Father's Day is coming up soon.  Is he a handy guy?  Does he like to work with his hands? How would you like to try your hand at winning a Milescraft Router Kit Model #1223 for your Father (or husband)? If you would like to win, then you need to head over to   A Concord Carpenter Comments and enter here. While you are there you might want to look around as this might be a great site to tell your Father (or husband) about if he is into home repairs, wood working, or the like.  Good Luck!

Have a wonderful Sunday,
BrendaLea

Misikko Flat Iron Giveaway at The Twin Kitchens

Ry and Sky over at the Twin Kitchen is having a giveaway for the Misikko Flat Iron.  For your chance to win stop by and check out these adorable girls at:  The Twin Kitchen.

Happy Mother's Day

Myspace Graphics, Mother's Day Graphics at WishAFriend.com

I Love ZeroWater!

I love water!  I especially love ZeroWater, it took all of the contaminants out of my tap water!  I am so  tickled to tell you about the ZeroWater Ion Exchange Filtration System.   I love a good tasting glass of water, especially in the Summer when it is hot. And I believe we all know how important water is to our bodies.

Each ZeroWater Ion Exchange Filtration System comes with a TDS meter so that you are able to compare the amount of dissolved particles in your tap water as well as the water from the ZeroWater Pitcher.

This is water my tap water registered:  153

And this is what the water from the ZeroWater Pitcher register after

using it for 4 weeks:  000

The Zero Water was the BEST tasting water I have ever tried.  The water taste clean, crisp, and oh so fresh!  Now I am a person that does not like warm water.  I have to drink my water extremely cold.  Well I used to have to drink it extremely cold.  I can tell you that with the Zero Water System, I am now able to drink water that is at room temperature if I need to.  Such as when I have a bottle of water in my car that has gotten warm.  No longer do I need to worry about how to keep my water cold when I am away from home.  And because the water taste so refreshing I know I will drink even more water than I used to.

ZeroWater has also become a "green" company as they have initiated a recycling program for the water filters.  An incentive for participating in the recycling program, ZeroWater® will offer a discount on replacement filters to offset the cost of shipping. And who doesn't like a company that thinks "green".

If ever I loved a product, then this is one that I love.  And I have tried multiple types of water filtration systems because I have never liked the taste of our city water.  None of the other systems I have tried holds a candle to the ZeroWater System.

about:

The revolutionary ion exchange filter by Zero Technologies, LLC is the only gravity fed filtration system that meets the FDA standard for purified bottled water*.  For the first time ever, by filtering tap water through
the ZeroWater® system, users can confidently replace bottled water with water that meets a higher standard than any other gravity fed water they are currently drinking.  This new technology far surpasses current gravity feed technology of the leaders in this market, removing virtually all measureable TDS in drinking water.

The ZeroWater® filtration system is available in the convenient ZeroWater® Pitcher and the jug-style ZeroWater® Filter Bottle. The pitcher has a ½ gallon capacity, requires one ZeroWater® filter and features an easy-fit lid with a pour spout for customer convenience, along with an exclusive in-fridge push button
dispenser.

The company is so confident in its guarantee that the filtered water will measure ZERO that it provides an independently manufactured total dissolved solids (TDS) meter so people can test water for themselves.

The TDS meter also offers users peace of mind that the ZeroWater® filter cartridges are working properly. When the tester reaches “006” it is time to change the filter. The life of a ZeroWater® filter is based on the amount of dissolved solids in local water and the amount of water consumed in a given time frame.

*Filtered potable tap water tested by an independent lab (not the FDA). Compared to water produced by leading gravity fed filters.

Walmart Gift Certificate Winner

I drew the name and the winner confirmed her win.

Let's all congratulate entry #110

Jill of NC

A huge thank you to all that enter the giveaway!

Happy Mother's Day.... to all the Moms out in cyber world

BrendaLea

Packages Have Shipped

To all of my 29 Days of Giving Challenge winners. Above is the picture of the packages that went out today via the United States Postal Service.  I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart and soul that is has taken me so long to get them sent.  Unfortunately, I was only able to send out some of the packages today.  I still have 6 more to send out.  The shipping cost was much, much more than I had ever expected.  The total cost today was $46.81 which for me is a very huge chunk of change (I survive on less than $800 per month).  I feel horrible that I was unable to send them out last month. And now a few of you may have to wait one more month.  I first have to get all of my bills paid (I am disabled and only have money once a month) and only then be able to see if I will have the funds to ship out the remaining packages.  It doesn't help me financially that my two teenage Grandsons spend a great deal of time with me (they are my world and I love them so very, very much) and like most teenagers, eat me out of house and home.  I have noticed that since the prices of everything have gone up over the last few years, it has been harder for me to get by one month to the next.  I did not take this into account when I began the giveaway.  I'm sorry.  If there is any way that I can send out any of the packages, even if it is just one or two, I will.  Please, please accept my apologies.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the cost to ship the packages would be so high, or that I would run into so many financial problems during the last few months.

I promise that EVERYONE will eventually get all of their goodies, but once again a few of you may have to wait a bit longer.  I will be having more giveaways in the near future, but thankfully it will not be my responsibility to ship them.  So hopefully no one will have to wait to receive their prizes.

I am sure you are tired of hearing my apologize, but I am truly sorry.  And I hope nothing like this will ever happen in the future.

Just as a side note, the giveaway that ends today (May 5th) for the Walmart gift card, will be shipped out immediately.  That I have in my hands, and will only require one tiny stamp to send.  So if you have not entered, please do.  Who knows you might just be the lucky winner.

Hope you all have a wonderful day,

BrendaLea