Valentine's Day Gift Basket Review & Giveaway c/o Glade!

What do you have planned for this coming Valentine's Day?  For us, we'll be staying in and celebrating with a romantic fondue.  If you are like us and celebrating in-house this year, Glade has put together a great gift basket that is sure to make your Valentine's Day extra special!

Glade offered to send me one of their special Valentine's Day packages to try out for myself.  My package included:

- 1 Glade Multiwick candles from The Fragence Collection (Currants Açai)
- 1 Glade  Soy-based mini candle (Sheer White Cotton)
- 1 Glade Reed Diffusers (Sheer White Cotton)

- A set of 5 cards and one set of Valentine enclosures from Jonesy.ca
- A Happy Valentine's Day Mookie from jinjaninja

- 1 Bottle of Copper Moon Wine (Sauvignon Blanc 750ml)

Last time I did a review for Glade, I also received a Multiwick candle in Currents Açai.  Still, this has proven to be my favorite product from the Fragrance Collection.  Here is what I said last time about why this product is my favorite: "The smell of this scent is nice, sweet, and refreshing.  Since I love fruity smells, this was a clear choice for me!  I especially liked that it wasn't too overpowering like some candles can be."  One thing that was different about the Multiwick candle this time was the jar that it came in.  The last one I received was a different style, with a different label.  I have to say, I much prefer the design they have now - it has a touch of elegance to it!  Plus, the label is meant to be removable, which is nice if you want a simple look without broadcasting the product information.

As for the Soy-based mini candle and the reed diffuser in Sheer White Cotton, both are very nice.  I think the scent of these make them perfect for rooms that need a little freshening up - such as bathrooms.  The subtle clean scent makes me think of an early Spring day!  Plus, if you are looking for a reed diffuser that lasts, I'd definitely suggest the ones sold in Glade's Fragrance Collection.  I've had one going in my house for the last few months and it is still going strong.  Not only do I love the reed diffusers' longevity but I also like the fact that you can set it somewhere, forget about it, and not have to worry about an overpowering scent.  The scent of these are gentle and they smell REAL, not like other products on the market that smell like the chemicals they were made with.

Last time I did a review on one of Glade's gift packages, I had a chance to test out Copper Moon's Sauvignon Blanc wine.  Here are some of my thoughts from the last review "I found it to be a nice refreshing surprise.  It was mild, smooth and had a good flavor.  I could easily see myself drinking this wine on special occasions (we hardly drink in our household so even though the wine is great, it would be occasional).  What I really like about [the Copper Moon] wines is their decent price of $9.45/750ml bottle.  When I purchase wine, I am used to paying roughly $14, so a savings of $4.50 is a definite plus in my books!"

One part of this package that I absolutely loved was the Mookie from Jinja Ninja.  Before receiving this package, I had never heard of a Mookie or Jinja Ninja.  So, when I opened up my review package, it was a pleasant surprise.  Jinja Ninja is a Canadian company and the maker of the Mookie, which is a special (GIANT) message cookie! Mookies come in seasonal and special occasion selections.  Don't see one that captures the message you are looking for?  There is always the option to order a custom Mookie.  After having the chance to try a Mookie and look through their online selection, I am pretty sure I'll be ordering at least one more Mookie in the future - likely more!  Mookies make the perfect gift for that special someone in your life!

Finally, I received a package of 5 note cards and a package of Valentine's enclosures from Jonesy.ca.  Here's some background on Jonesy and their products "We want to keep the handwritten note alive!  Jonesy Charismatic Stationery is committed to providing high quality, environmentally friendly greetings.  All designs are created in Canada using FSC certified recycled paper and soy based inks.  One design benefits the Sick Kids Foundation, a charity close to our own hearts."  What I like most about these cards are the simple designs used.  I also like that style isn't compromised just because they are made from recycled paper - the cards I received look fantastic!  I would be proud to give these cards to family and friends!

Thanks to Glade, they are offering my readers the chance to win one of the same prize packages that I received (shown below)!

To enter, go look through Glade's website, then come back here and leave a comment telling me the name of another Glade product you'd like to try. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- Tell me what your plans are for this Valentine's Day.
- Become a fan of Glade on Facebook. Please make sure to leave the name you use on Facebook.
- Become a fan of Jonesy on Facebook. Please make sure to leave the name you use on Facebook.
- Become a fan of jinjanina on Facebook. Please make sure to leave the name you use on Facebook.
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).

- Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page) on Twitter. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, February 6th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to CANADA ONLY!

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, I was sent a review package from Glade, which contained all of the products listed above.  Receiving this package did not in anyway alter the information which is discussed in this article; this review is 100% of my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

Winners!

I have lots of winners to announce today!  Congratulations to the following:

Jessica (comment #26) who won the UPrinting.com Giveaway!
Heidi P (comment #2) who won the Baby Essentials Guide Giveaway!
mom2anutball (comment #100) who won the SlimPerfect Giveaway!
heaventrees (comment #281) who won the Avery Gift Basket Giveaway!
momtoem (comment #76) who won the Daddy Diaper Changing Toolbox Giveaway!

Once again, congratulations to all the winners!  Please keep an eye on your email inbox because I will be sending winner announcements shortly.  In order to receive your prize, please note that you must respond to my email within 48 hours.

For those who didn't win, best of luck next time!  I will be adding a number of reviews and giveaways over the next few months that you are sure to love!

Thank you to all my readers who took the time to enter!

Happy Friday!

My 1st UPrinting.com Giveaway!

Recently I joined a new blogger program called the UPrinting Blog Sponsorship Program.  This program gives me the opportunity to tell of you all about UPrinting's products and services and offer a number of items as giveaway prizes! 

UPrinting's motto is 'Spread Your Message' and this is exactly what UPrinting allows you to do.  UPrinting provides you with a number of products that are completely customizable, including Business Cards, Labels/Stickers, Posters, Postcards, etc.  For each product, you have the choice of using UPrinting's designs or adding one of your own!  You can easily create your own design by using one of the templates offered by UPrinting.  These templates make it simple to create a design that reflects your style 100%.  Plus, you can use these templates with a number of programs (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Microsoft Publisher, etc.).  Not familiar with design programs but you still want a one of a kind (OOAK) design?  A number of Etsy shops sell premade OOAK and custom designs for business cards and more!  If this is something that would interest you, you may want to check out my Etsy shop - EUC Designs.  Additionally, UPrinting shows just how user friendly they are by offering FREE samples of a number of their printing papers.  This allows you to pre-order samples so that you can ensure that your custom product arrives just as you imagined it!

Finally, as you look through UPrinting's website, you will notice that their prices are very competitive compared to other online printing businesses.  For example, you can get 250 business cards for only $20 + shipping (dependent on options chosen).  Or, buy 100 custom Birth, Wedding, or Event announcement postcards for only $33.60 + shipping (dependent on options chosen).

UPrinting.com is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau and Inc. 500 | 5000.

Now for the fun part - the giveaway!

What can you win? One winner will receive a package of 250 business cards from UPrinting.com.  The business cards in this package are completely customizable to your preferences and you can choose from the following options:

Size: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.5 x 3.5” (skinny card)

Paper:  14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock

*NOTE* - the winner is responsible for the cost of shipping.

How to enter: Tell me how you'd use the business cards if you won, or what you'd put on them.  This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless otherwise noted). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If a certain entry method is worth more than one entry, which will be indicated for methods worth more than one entry, please leave a comment to reflect each entry:
-Tell me the name of another product you'd like to try from UPrinting.com.

- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my button to your blog sidebar.  - IMPORTANT - If you've added it before, please add it again with the new code.  The button must point to http://www.everythingupclose.com for it to be counted as a valid entry.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky) and Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page). Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).

- Entering one of my other giveaways.  Please indicate the name of the other giveaway you entered.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

- Writing about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post.

-Donate a minimum of $1 to my BlogHer 2010 Fund using the ChipIn widget on the right hand side of my blog. Earn 2 entries for each dollar you donate! Please leave me your PayPal email address so I can verify your entry.

Important Entry Details:

The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Monday, January 18th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of the US only!  The winner will be responsible for the cost of shipping.

Good Luck!

*Disclaimer* As part of the UPrinting.com Blog Sponsorship Program, I will be receiving 1 free package of 250 business cards as a thank you for posting the giveaway and sharing information about UPrinting's products and services.  This review is 100% of my own feedback and I did not receive any other sort of compensation for my opinion.

Giveaway Day!

Canadian? Love Giveaways? Head on over to Save Money in Winnipeg to enter to win one of 8 giveaways that will be posted throughout the day today. Giveaway day means that giveaways run hourly and each one only lasts 1 hour. So, hurry over to http://savemoneyinwinnipeg.blog.ca before it's too late!

Good Luck!

'Creation' Movie Ticket Winners!

We have winners! The winners from the Manitoba only contest have been chosen!  Each winner will receive one double pass for the upcoming movie 'Creation', which will be playing at Grant Park Cinema (1120 Grant Avenue, Winnipeg, MB) on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 7 p.m.

Congratulations David and Stacie!  Please send your mailing information to me within 24 hours so I can make sure you get your prize before the advanced screening!  Thanks again to all of those who entered!  I hope to read another one of your entries again soon!

Finally, to both winners - Have fun at the movies!

Make-Ahead Meals (Book) Review & Giveaway!

Lately I have been trying to cook meals that I can make ahead and freeze for later.  This gives me the chance to save time (and stress) from planning and cooking meals every night.  So far, I have loved what freezer meals do for our household!  Not only are freezer meals convenient, but they can help you save money by buying in bulk.  Since you usually prepare a number of the same meals at once when you assemble freezer meals, it makes them extremely time efficient; you'll definitely save a lot of time by cooking your meals this way.  Each of these points are reasons why I enjoy freezer meals.  While I haven't yet mastered, or even attempted once a month cooking (OAMC) or 30 meals in 1 day, Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms has got me off to a good start!

Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms was written by Jane Doiron who is an elementary school teacher and a busy mom of two boys.  She decided to write this book after discovering the joy of preparing meals ahead of time.  Make-Ahead Meals is meant to combine Jane's years of experience and experimenting with recipes to provide you with a number of family friendly recipes and tips for make-ahead meals.

Review
Jane Doiron offered to send me a copy of her new book: Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms to review.  First of all I will talk a bit about how the book is put together.  The way Jane seperated this book seems very natural, which makes finding recipes a breeze.  The beginning of the book contains a table of contents and includes the following sections: an introduction, helpful tips, appetizers, breakfast and brunch, desserts, main dishes, side dishes, soup, measurement equivalents, and an index of recipes.  By combining the table of contents, with the Recipe Index, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for.   This book had a total 232 pages, with a majority of those being packed with recipes!

One thing I liked about this book that I thought was unique from others was the size and the type of font used.  The font in this book is an Arial-type and sized a bit larger than most cookbooks.  These two factors make Jane's book easier to read than most cookbook that I already have on my bookshelf.

When I first looked through this book, I was happy to see that approximately 90% of the recipes contained in this book are ones that my family would enjoy.  Far too often I buy a cookbook thinking it will be a hit, only to discover that the recipes aren't ones that my family would enjoy.  This one was not like that at all.  This cookbook contains a number of recipes that are sure to please the majority of your family.  Plus, all the recipes in this book are easy to prepare and use ingredients that are easy to find in your local supermarket.

One thing that I had to keep in mind while looking through this book that it was in fact a book for make-ahead meals.  When looking through the book, I quickly forgot about this after finding so many recipes that I never thought about making ahead of time.  For example, Breakfast Burritos.  This is one recipe in the book that got my attention!  When I have Breakfast Burritos, they are usually from a fast food chain or I make them at home and eat them right away.  When I saw this recipe listed in Jane's book, it made me look at Breakfast Burritos in a whole new light.  They no longer had to be a breakfast dish that took just as long to prepare as others, or a item that I pick up at a local fast food place - it can now be a breakfast item that I can eat on the go, while ensuring my nutrition and saving my money!

The breakfast burritos recipe contained in this book was quick to make, yummy, and only had 5 ingredients.  I found that this recipe was very versatile and I could easily add in items (such as peppers) and substitute items.  For example, this recipe called for lean breakfast turkey sausage.  Unfortunately, the day I decided to make this recipe, I didn't have turkey sausage.  So, instead of turkey, I decided to use pork - definitely not as lean, but the recipe still worked out great!  Other substitutions for this recipe can include, fat free margarine instead of butter, egg whites instead of whole eggs, low-fat cheddar cheese instead of full-fat cheddar cheese, and whole wheat tortillas instead of flour tortillas.

Besides the great things I've already mentioned about this book, one of my favorite aspects has to be the extra tips contained throughout this book.  The book starts out with helpful tips and provides more and more with each recipe.  Plus, each recipe gives you the option to eat now or eat later.  Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms contains instructions on cooking, reheating, freezing, and preparing portions the night or day before (of course dependent on the requirements of the recipe).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the layout, the recipes, and all the hints that made preparing and saving the meals even easier.  I appreciate that Jane included recipes in this book that were family friendly and that contained ingredients that I could easily find in my local supermarket.  Finally, I really appreciate how this book opened my eyes to meals that can be made-ahead of time for my family.  As for things that could be added to this book to make it better, in my opinion, there aren't very many.  The only thing I'd like to see in future editions are some pictures (I am a visual person).  Other than that, this book was just what I was looking for.  I would highly suggest it to anyone who loves make-ahead meals or who is trying to find a more efficient way to cook for their family!

This book can be purchased in the USA on Amazon.com for $16.15, and in Canada from Amazon.ca for $19.07.  Otherwise, you can purchase an eBook copy of Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms on Jane Doiron's website for $12.95 (USD). 

What can you win? One lucky reader will receive a hard copy of Jane Doiron's book: Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms (paperback).

How to enter: Look at the list of recipes included in this book (here).  Then, come back here and leave a comment telling me the name of one recipe you'd like to try.This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless otherwise noted). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If a certain entry method is worth more than one entry, which will be indicated for methods worth more than one entry, please leave a comment to reflect each entry:
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my button to your blog sidebar.  - IMPORTANT - If you've added it before, please add it again with the new code.  The button must point to http://www.everythingupclose.com for it to be counted as a valid entry.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky) and Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page). Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.
- Following Jane Doiron's blog.
- Subscribing to the Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Newsletter (here).
- Adding Jane Doiron's blog button to your blog sidebar using the following image, ensuring it points to http://makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.blogspot.com/:

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).

- Entering one of my other giveaways.  Please indicate the name of the other giveaway you entered.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

- Writing about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post.

-Donate a minimum of $1 to my BlogHer 2010 Fund using the ChipIn widget on the right hand side of my blog. Earn 2 entries for each dollar you donate! Please leave me your PayPal email address so I can verify your entry.

Important Entry Details:

The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, January 23rd at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US only!

Good Luck!

*Disclaimer* In order to complete an accurate review of this book, Jane Doiron offered to send me a copy of her book free of charge.  This review is 100% of my own feedback and I did not receive any other sort of compensation for my opinion.

Baby Essential Guide Giveaway!

Recently, I joined a new blogger program called the Triplets Mommy Blog Sponsorship Program.  The Triplets Mommy Blog Sponsorship Program is offered on behalf of the Triplets Mommy website.  Triplets Mommy offers a variety of information on babies, the joy of pregnancy, and more! Triplets Mommy also offers information through their website and forums on how to get free stuff and save money by using coupons.  Finally, Triplets Mommy offers an interesting eBook that will allow you to save and get even more free stuff + their is tons of tidbits for everything from baby showers to preparing for baby's arrival!  Their eBook is titled 'Baby Essential Guide' and offers chapters such as: How to get samples by mail, Top baby names and meanings, Babyshower Preparation, and more!  This book can be purchased on the Triplets Mommy website for $9.95.

Since I am now part of the Triplets Mommy Blog Sponsorship Program, I was given the opportunity to hold a giveaway for an eBook copy of the Triplets Mommy Baby Essential Guide!  Read all the details below! :)

What can you win? One lucky reader will receive a copy of the Baby Essential Guide eBook (worth $9.95) courtesy of Triplets Mommy.

How to enter: Share a baby tip, a baby story, a link to a cute baby picture (one of your own children), or a link to a baby freebie in a comment below.  This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless otherwise noted). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If a certain entry method is worth more than one entry, which will be indicated for methods worth more than one entry, please leave a comment to reflect each entry:
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).
- Adding my button to your blog sidebar. - IMPORTANT - If you've added it before, please add it again with the new code. The button must point to http://www.everythingupclose.com for it to be counted as a valid entry.
- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky) and Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page). Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.
- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Entering one of my other giveaways. Please indicate the name of the other giveaway you entered.
- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.
- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post.
- Donate a minimum of $1 to my BlogHer 2010 Fund using the ChipIn widget on the right hand side of my blog. Earn 2 entries for each dollar you donate! Please leave me your PayPal email address so I can verify your entry.
Important Entry Details:
The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Friday, January 15th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents worldwide!

Good Luck!

*Disclaimer* As a thank you for publishing this giveaway for Triplet Mommy on my website, I received a copy of their eBook free of charge.  This review is objective information that I found in the eBook and on the Triplet Mommy website.  I did not receive any other sort of compensation for this post.

Giveaway: Win 1 of 2 Admit Two Advance Screening Passes to the movie 'Creation'!

Recently I got my hands on a few extra movie passes for an upcoming movie called 'Creation' and I'd love to share them with you, my readers!

A bit about the movie: 'Creation' (directly quoted from Creation's offical website)

"From director Jon Amiel (The Singing Detective, Entrapment) and writer John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) comes CREATION. A psychological, heart-wrenching love story starring Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) as Charles Darwin, the film is based on “Annie’s Box,” a biography penned by Darwin’s great-great-grandson Randal Keynes using personal letters and diaries of the Darwin family. We take a unique and inside look at Darwin, his family and his love for his deeply religious wife, played by Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream) , as, torn between faith and science, Darwin struggles to finish his legendary book “On the Origin of Species,” which goes on to become the foundation for evolutionary biology. The film co-stars Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon, Infamous) and Jeremy Northam (Gosford Park, Amistad) , and was produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor, Sexy Beast) at Recorded Picture Company with BBC Films and Ocean Pictures."

Now... time for the giveaway!

How many winners will there be?  Two (2).

What can you win? Each winner will receive an advance screening pass (valid for 2 people) to the movie 'Creation', which is being shown on Monday, January 18th @ 7 p.m. at Empire Grant Park 8 (1120 Grant Park Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba).  This movie has been rated PG-13 in Canada.

Disclaimer included on the ticket: "This pass does not guarantee admission.  Please arrive early.  Seating is limited and on a first come, first serve basis.  This pass is non-transfereable and is not redeemable for cash.  No one will be admitted once the screening begins.  We have the right to refuse admission.  The screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording.  By attending, you agree not to bring any audio or video recording device into the theatre (audio record for credentialed press excepted) and consent to a physical serarch of your belongings and person.  Any attempted use of recording devices will result in the immediate removal from the theatre, forfeiture, and may subject you to criminal and civil liability.  Thank you for your cooperation."

If you win this giveaway, you will need to exchange the double pass at the box office on the day of the screening for your entry tickets.

The advanced screening of Creation is being presented by Hot 103, d films, QX104, the Winnipeg Free Press, and CTV.

How to enter: Tell me one reason you'd like to see 'Creation'.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless otherwise noted). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If a certain entry method is worth more than one entry, which will be indicated for methods worth more than one entry, please leave a comment to reflect each entry:
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).
- Adding my button to your blog sidebar. - IMPORTANT - If you've added it before, please add it again with the new code. The button must point to http://www.everythingupclose.com for it to be counted as a valid entry.
- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky) and Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page). Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.
- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Entering one of my other giveaways. Please indicate the name of the other giveaway you entered.
- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.
- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post.
- Donate a minimum of $1 to my BlogHer 2010 Fund using the ChipIn widget on the right hand side of my blog. Earn 2 entries for each dollar you donate! Please leave me your PayPal email address so I can verify your entry.

Important Entry Details:
The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

Please ensure you read the rules below very carefully.  This giveaway is different from most and is geographically limited.

This giveaway will end on Monday, January 12th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). The winner of the giveaway will be drawn on Tuesday morning (January 13th, 2010) and winners will be contacted via email at that time. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address. If this information is not received within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  Note: Prizes will be hand delivered by me (if you live close enough), otherwise, I will be sending the prize by Canada Post, which should take two (2) business days. This giveaway is open to residents of the province of Manitoba.

Good Luck!

*Disclaimer* This post is not sponsored by any group or company.  I chose to write about this movie and give away these passes, on behalf of myself, because I thought they would be of interest to my readers.  Please note, this movie does not represent the views of either myself or the mission of this blog. 

An Update and a Request

Many of you have probably realized that over the past few months I have switched from a Blogger specific address: http://everythingupclose.blogspot.com/ to my own domain: http://www.everythingupclose.com/.  I was and am very excited about the change.  However, changes usually come with unexpected problems.  The issue is that unfortunately, Google is not detecting the links to the posts I posted prior to the change properly, which in turn is decreasing my spot/rank on Google searches.  For those of you who have blogs or other types of websites understand how important Google's page ranking system ise.  That is why I have decided to write a bit about this in a post. 

For those of you who have my button on your blog, you will notice that it is no longer working properly.  The image that shows up says that the button is no longer valid and requests that you visit http://www.everythingupclose.com/ for the new code.  In order to get my ranking back to the way it used to be, I'm requesting that those of you who have my old button please reinstall my button using the code shown below.  If you enjoy entering my giveaways, this step is very important since my old button does not count as an entry (I've explained that on the giveaway pages so that everyone is informed of the change). 




<center><a href="http://www.everythingupclose.com/" target="_blank"> <br/><a href="http://www.everythingupclose.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Everything Up Close" src="http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/ihchicky/FinalBlogButton.jpg"/></a></a><a href="http://www.everythingupclose.com/">Everything Up Close - Reviews & Giveaways</a></center><br/>

So, if you haven't changed the button yet, I'd really appreciate it if you took a few minutes now to change the button to the one I have shown below, ensuring that the new button links to http://www.everythingupclose.com/.  Hopefully, once all has been switched over to the new address, my website will be booming, my Google PR rank will return to what it used to be, and I will be able to offer you even more content than in the past!

Thank you so much to all my dedicated readers!  I appreciate the time you took to read this message and make the appropriate changes on your own website!

More magazines for FREE!

I just updated the post: FREE Magazine Subscriptions (On-going List) with a number of magazines, which are available for FREE to people living in either Canada, the US, or both!  Enjoy!

FREE Magazine Subscriptions (Ongoing List)

UPDATE: New magazines were added to the list on October 4th, 2010.  Each new addition says *NEW* beside it.  I have also divided the list into additional categories to make it easier to find what you are look for.

Cooking

All You Need is Cheese (CANADA ONLY)
Healthy Way (CANADA ONLY)
High on Taste (US ONLY)
Ingredients Etc. (CANADA ONLY)
Melt Magazine (CANADA AND US ONLY)
*NEW* Today's Diet & Nutrition (WORLDWIDE - Digital)

Family & Children
American Baby (US ONLY)
BabyTalk Magazine (US ONLY)
Betty Crocker Birthday Parties (WORLDWIDE - Automated transfer to online magazine when you click on the link)
Family Circle (US ONLY - 2 Issues)
*NEW* Focus on the Family Canada (CANADA ONLY)
Kiwi Magazine (US ONLY)
Lego Magazine (Available in a number of countries including the US and CANADA)
Parenting Early Years (US ONLY)
PETA Kids (WORLDWIDE)
Young Disciple (CANADA AND US ONLY)

Hobbies (Crafting)Creative Ideas Magazine (US ONLY)
Quilter's World (CANADA AND US ONLY - 1 Issue)

Hobbies (Other)
Gardens for All Newsletter (US ONLY)
*NEW* Globetrotting (WORLDWIDE)
Outdoor Guide Magazine (SELECT STATES ONLY)
Land and People (CANADA AND US ONLY)
Lighting and Sound America (CANADA AND US ONLY)
Life Enhancement (US ONLY)
*NEW* Men's Health (WORLDWIDE - Digital)
Personal Update (CANADA AND US ONLY)
*NEW* Photo News (CANADA ONLY)
*NEW* Premiere Guitar Magazine (WORLDWIDE - Digital)
*NEW* Prevention (WORLDWIDE - Digital)

Psychology Today (US ONLY)
*NEW* Talk Travel (WORLDWIDE - Digital)
*NEW* The New Yorker (WORLDWIDE - 4 Digital Issues)

Travel 50 and Beyond (US ONLY - 1 Issue)
Where to Retire (US ONLY)

Religious (General)
Good News (WORLDWIDE)
Miracle Magazine (WORLDWIDE)
Plain Truth (CANADA AND US ONLY)
*NEW* The Trumpet (Worldwide)


Sports
American Cheerleader (US ONLY)
Baseball America (US ONLY - 1 Issue)
Car and Driver (US ONLY)
Golf Tips (US ONLY)
*NEW* Runner's (WORLDWIDE - Digital)
Surf (US ONLY - Digital Subscription)
Surfing (US ONLY)

Women
Bridal Guide (US ONLY - 1 Issue)
Elle (US ONLY)
Harper's Bazaar (US ONLY)
Rouge (CANADA ONLY)
Rouge (US ONLY)
Weight Watchers (US ONLY)
Weddings in Winnipeg (Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA ONLY)
*NEW* Women's Health (WORLDWIDE - Digital)


Please let me know if you find that any of the links aren't working so that I can remove them from the list.  Also, if you find any subscriptions that aren't included, please let me know and I'll add them! :)  Happy Reading!

A New Year has Begun!

Before the day was over, I wanted to stop in and wish everyone a happy new year!  I am personally really excited about this year and I expect it to be great and the start of many new adventures!  Although I am not usually one for New Years Resolutions, this year I decided to make one - to be more organized (specifically when it comes to the material objects in my home).  This is the year I hope to finally jump in feet first and organize everything the way it should be so that clutter no longer consumes my everyday thoughts.  I figure a clutter free life must be a tad more relaxing! 

Other than organizing my material possessions, I'm really hoping to start organizing my meals better.  I have recently started making a few freezer meals here and there.  I'd like to expand that to preparing even more ahead of time in order to reduce the stress around meal times, which often leads to consuming unhealthy options that are loaded with fat and preservatives!

That leads me to my other wish for 2010.  To get healthy, fit, and lose some weight along the way.  I know many people make this a new years resolution but I've learned in the past that, that often doesn't work very well (at least for me).  That is why this is more of a personal goal for myself which will be ongoing - 2010 and beyond!

I figured I'd keep my goals simple and I'll go from there.  I'm sure throughout the year, I'll add a few more into the mix once I've started to accomplish these.  When it comes to accomplishing goals, I've found that baby steps always works best for me!


I'd love to hear from all of you!  What are your new years resolutions?  Do you have any goals or dreams for 2010?  How do you think 2010 will be compared to 2009?



Once again, I'd like to wish all of you the best in new year!  May all your hopes and dreams become a reality!

Happy 2010!

Giveaway List - 1/31

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away one pair of shoes from Eleven Collection. Canada and US only. - January 31st

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away 3 pacifiers from mypacifier.ca. Canada only. - February 1st

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away $25US by PayPal from Buzzillions to 2 winners! Canada and US only. - February 2nd

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away one item of the winner's choice from Frecklebox. Canada and US only. - February 2nd

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a bug pod from Boon. Canada and US only. - February 2nd

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a Tahitian escape package from urban sudz Soap Factory. Canada only. - February 2nd

Solais Photography is giving away Your choice of image from my Art Gallery as a bordered 8×10 print fine art velvet paper. Canada and US only. - February 2nd

The Funky Monkey is giving away A Constructive Eating Utensil Set - February 4th

The Funky Monkey is giving away A KIDS item of your choice from Peter Pauper Press - February 5th

Glimpse is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Moms and Bums!! Worldwide entries accepted. - February 5th @ midnight

The Funky Monkey is giving away a $25 Gift Card to Build-A-Bear - February 5th

The Funky Monkey is giving away A pair of Polliwalks Shoes for Kids - February 5th

The Funky Monkey is giving away A Custom Initial/Name Onesie of your choice - February 5th

Glimpse is giving away three blue Kootsac bulk bags (a small, medium, and large bag). - February 6th

The Funky Monkey is giving away Gourmet Coffee of your choice and Colossal Cashew Gift Tin from Pear's Gourmet - February 6th

The Funky Monkey is giving away A hair clip of your choice from Details Shop (personalized) - February 6th

The Funky Monkey is giving away The Love Pak set of cards (naughty and nice) - February 6th

Babylux {daily} is giving away BabyHuman Play & Learn Spoons. 5 winners. - February 6th

The Funky Monkey is giving away A Bangle Wristlet from AO3 Designs - February 6th

SAHM Reviews is giving away a SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer. US only. - February 6th

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away an Emperor Shower head from evolve to 3 lucky winners! - Canada only. - February 6th

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away one winner a pair of shoes (of their choice) from Pedoodles. - Canada and US only. - February 6th

Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls is giving away a pair of Monkey Toes Shoes. Worldwide entries accepted. - February 7th

The Funky Monkey is giving away a gorgeous Pink Freshwater Pearl Necklace from PearlParadise.com - February 7th

Catch the Drift is giving away a pair of See Kai Run shoes to 2 winners. - US only. - February 11th

Sweeps4Bloggers is giving away a Milkshake Music DVD, CD and Comic. US only, 18+. - February 11th @ 8pm PST

Sweeps4Bloggers is giving away a $10 Denny's Gift Card. US only, 18+. - February 11th @ 8pm PST

Simply Stacie is giving away a Bella Crystal Bracelet from Bisou Bisou Beads. Canada and US only. - February 12th @ 11:59pm EST

Simply Stacie is giving away a Hand Stamped Silver Necklace with Heart Charm from Lauren Nicole Gifts. Worldwide entries accepted. - February 14th @ 11:59pm

Paper Blessings is giving away "Love" Chipboard Book and Embellishments. Worldwide entries accepted. - February 15th

GeeZees Custom Canvas Giveaway!

GeeZees Custom Canvas began when a husband and wife team decided to turn their passion of making personalized canvases for family and friends into a home based business. Their new business adventure allows them to create personalized canvases for people all around the world. GeeZees’ canvases are great because of the level of customization that goes into them. With GeeZees, you are able to choose your favorite photo, background, color choices and words and/or phrases. Creating a GeeZees Canvas is a wonderful way to preserve your family memories. In addition, GeeZees Canvases make wonderful gifts!

GeeZees are very unique compared to other photo canvas shops on the internet. The option of adding words to your canvas is what sets GeeZees apart from their competition. GeeZees Custom Canvas allows you to add up to 250 words of your choice to any canvas. Here are some ideas for words/phrases you might like to add to your customized canvas:

- Wedding Vows/Dance Lyrics
- Child's Name (favorite things)
- Birth Announcements
- Favorite lyrics /poems
- Family Mission Statement
- Favorite Quotes
- Favorite Photos

What can you win? One winner will receive an 8x10 inch GeeZees’ Custom Canvas Photo. You will be able to submit any photo of your choice and choose what words or phrase you would like to appear on the canvas.

To enter, Go look around GeeZees’ website for ideas, then, come back here, and tell me which picture and which words/phrase you would like on your canvas if you win. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
-Looking through GeeZees’ Portfolio, then coming back here and telling me which canvas was your favorite.
-Subscribing to my blog via email. Do not forget to activate your subscription.
-Adding my button to your blog sidebar.
-Following me on Twitter (ihchicky). Please make sure to leave your Twitter name in your comment.
-Posting a message about this giveaway with a link back here on Twitter. Make sure to leave a link to your twitter message in your comment. You can do this once a day. Please make sure to come back each day and leave another comment with your new twitter message link.
-Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please make sure to leave a link to your blog post in your entry.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, February 7th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide!

Good Luck!

Do you see something for GeeZees that you would love to own and you don’t want to wait until the end of the giveaway? Stephanie from GeeZees is kindly offering all my readers 10% of all orders when you state that you found out about this offer at ‘Everything Up Close’. This offer expires on Sunday, February 8^th @ 11:59pm.

Giveaway List - 1/29

Aunt Pam's Closet is giving away a poetry book called the "World Around Me". US and Canada only. - January 30th

Aunt Pam's Closet is giving away 1 dozen Gourmet cupcakes. US and Canada only. - January 30th

Optimistic Beauty is giving away a $30 gift certificate for use at Rainbow Swirlz. Plus, visit the giveaway page for a free shipping code. US and Canada only. - January 30th

Optimistic Beauty is giving away any stainless steel water bottle of the winner's choice from Earth Lust. US and Canada only, 18+. - January 30th

Funky Finds is giving away a hand-knit wrist corsage from Wintergarden. - January 30th @ midnight CST

Optimistic Beauty is giving away a super duper awesome neat Tea Wallet. US and Canada only, 18+. - January 31st

Catch the Drift with Mama Snow is giving away a pair of their Knit Turquoise Bloomers. US only. - January 31st

Catch the Drift with Mama Snow is giving away a heart necklace. US only. - January 31st

Goodies for Mom is having a CPSIA Protest Giveaway (Baby Products). 6 winners. US only. - January 31st

Goodies for Mom is giving away a Beating the Winter Beauty Blues Gift Pack. US only. - January 31st @ midnight

MammaDawg is giving away a $25 Best Buy gift certificate. US only. - January 31st @ 6pm PST

Optimistic Beauty is giving away a set of 3 wrapped canvases from Wee Gallery. US and Canada only, 18+. - February 1st

Petit Elefant is giving away a $50 gift certificate to the online children's boutique Sugarplum Dreams. - February 1st @ midnight MST

Mommies with Cents is giving away Belli Motherhood Body Firming Serum worth $35. - February 1st

The Funky Monkey is giving away A tee of your choice from Field Dress. - February 1st

Loveetsyfeedback is giving away one of 3 prizes from Geekdetails (3 winners). US only. - February 1st

RHBDesigns is giving away a $25 gift certificate towards the purchase of a hand stamped piece of jewelry. US only. - February 1st @ 7pm MST

Yummies 4 Tummies is giving away One $25 Gift Card: Choice of P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Home Depot, Starbucks, Foot Locker, Staples, ESPNShop.com, or Barnes & Noble. - February 2nd @ 10pm PST

Feels like Home is giving away a $280 pearl necklace from Pearl Paradise. US only, 18+. - February 2nd @ 11:59pm

The Funky Monkey is giving away A Puzzibits Megamix 1250 Piece Set. - February 2nd

Glimpse is giving away A Laken Water Bottle. US and Canada only. - February 2nd @ midnight

this always opens to the story within... is giving away One Handmade Book of Love Poetry & One Handmade Valentine's Day Card of Your Choice. Worldwide entries accepted, 18+. - February 2nd

Mommies with Cents is giving away Y.e.s. products for Anti-Aging Serum and Rejuvenating Cream worth $115. - February 2nd

The Funky Monkey is giving away a $15 gift certificate to Apple Blossom Designs. - February 2nd

The 6 O'Clock Stitch is giving one winner a $10 gift certificate AND one winner a $5 gift certificate. US only. - February 3rd @ midnight

Loveetsyfeedback is giving away a porcelain jewelry set from JoanMillerPorcelain. US only. - February 3rd

Simply Stacie is giving away a Twilight Edward Cullen Pendant. Worldwide entries accepted. - February 4th @ 11:59 pm EST

Moms Work At Home Blog @ Mommy Enterprises is giving away an Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bag to 2 lucky winners! US only, 18+. - February 4th

Shake The Salt is giving away a $833 Winner Takes All Prize Package. US only. - February 4th @ 11:59 PM EST

Moms Work At Home Blog @ Mommy Enterprises is giving away Wett Giggles handmade glycerin soap with nail brush. US only, 18+. - February 5th

Aunt Pam' Closet is giving away a That's Caring Spa Basket. US and Canada only. - February 6th

Aunt Pam's Closet is hosting The greeting place giveaway, this one includes Go Girls Party supplies!!! US and Canada only. - February 6th

Northwest Mom Finds is giving away an Award-winning Bilibo toy. US only, 18+. - February 6th @ 10pm PST

Moms Work At Home Blog @ Mommy Enterprises is giving away a Personalized sterling silver necklace to 2 winners. - February 7th

Catch the Drift with Mama Snow is giving away a children's apron. Worldwide entries accepted. - February 7th

Northwest Mom Finds is giving away a Convertible wristlet bag from Borsa Bella. US and Canada only. - February 8th @ 10pm PST

Jolly Mom is giving away The Invisibelt to TWO winner. US entries accepted. – February 8th.

Jolly Mom is giving away an Alpinestars Pintucked Blouse ($78) to one winner. US entries accepted. – February 8th.

Mama's Money Savers is giving away a Munchie Mug. US only. - February 9th

life in the lost world is giving away a $25 gift certificate to IDEAL POULTRY. US only, 18+. - February 13th @ midnight