This is a favorite side around here. We just love it beyond what words could describe. It is super easy to make and is also really quick for those nights when you need to throw something together for the family or to impress unexpected guests. I ALWAYS keep several cans of carrots on hand just [...]
When I make this bread it gets really quiet around my house. That means I make it often! Quiet around this place is SACRED! Usually there is a dull roar. But a roar none-the-less. And at times it is louder around here than a rock concert. So if I make something where everyone just sits around [...]
Iron Skillet Pork Chops With Muscadine Glaze
Recently when I was at the National Cornbread Festival I came across a booth that was selling Muscadine Juice. Not wine…JUICE! I was so thrilled…and then I tasted it. OhhhMyStinkinHeck, that is the best stuff I think I have ever put in my mouth. As a kid I can remember being at my grandparents house [...]
Today’s Mom and The Seagate Slim (GIVEAWAY)
“Thanks to Seagate for supplying product for giveaway and some of the information in this post.” I have been a Mother for 22 years. Saying that out loud just seems absurd to me. It is so hard to fathom that I have a 22 year old and a 15 year old child. Think of the [...]
I have hit that place.
You know that place where everything seems like it is standing still.
Not moving forward, but not falling back either.
Standing Still.
So, I have made myself a challenge, it is time to step it up a notch.
How will you challenge yourself?
I LOVE Jigsaw Puzzles. During the colder months I usually always have one out. And I can usually average a 1,000 piece puzzle every few days, depending on how cold it is and what my schedule looks like.
It all started when I was really young. I grew up in an OLD Antebellum home that was built in the 1800′s. That means…no air, no heat, no insulation, icicles hanging off you the moment you step out of the shower. It was a COLD house in the winter and there was no way you could heat it all. So, while we slept in the bedrooms (with 10 blankets on your bed) we lived in one or two rooms while we were awake. And my Mom would always have a puzzle going to provide some entertainment. Now, all of us love puzzles and we all still look forward to getting one each Christmas.
Most puzzles do not provide much of a challenge for me. But last year I came across some puzzles by Artist Alex Beard, known for demystifying art and engaging people in the creative experience. His work is amazing and I immediately fell in love with Impossible Puzzles. Just recently Alex announced the 2nd Annual “Alex Beard Impossible Puzzles Contest.” This contest, designed to help break down the barriers between the artist and his audience, encourages people to think outside the box and challenge one’s creativity.
Most puzzles have interlocking pieces that fit together, and some have evolved to 3D versions and computer adaptations, but the end goal remains the same: to recreate the picture on the front of the box. Alex Beard’s line of Impossible Puzzles combats the theory that a puzzle can only result in one picture. In Beard’s line of work, the goal is creativity, curiosity and novelty. With his line of Impossible Puzzles, Beard proves that by looking at the jigsaw puzzle with a new perspective, anything is possible.
“I am thrilled to be launching the 2nd Annual Impossible Puzzles Contest in partnership with Borders,” says Beard, owner of the Alex Beard Studio. “What a fantastic way to break down the barriers between ‘the artist’ and ‘the people,’ and what a fantastic partner I have in Borders to make it happen!”
“We’ve recently added a large assortment of adult games and puzzles here at Borders and the ‘Impossible Puzzles Contest’ is a great way to engage our customers around our new offerings,” said Michele Cloutier, Chief Merchandising Officer for Borders, Inc. “We can’t wait for our customers to show their creativity by designing their puzzle for a chance to win some great prizes.”
The Alex Beard Impossible Puzzles contest encourages people to create their own puzzle art based on original works by Beard. In other words, the final result should not mirror the picture on the box cover! Each puzzle piece can be rearranged into a new composition, a new outline, a new image- a work of art of the puzzler’s very own. In the Impossible Puzzles collection, some shapes have common outlines, so there is more than one choice for what can fit. The pieces do not snap into each other, but settle beside one another instead, making the puzzle exponentially more challenging. While there is actually only one correct piece that combines with its neighbors to assemble the puzzle as intended, the pieces can be combined in infinite ways to create new puzzles and new shapes.
For example, the giraffe creation on the right was made from the pieces of the Abstract puzzle on the left!
It’s easy to enter! Go to your local Borders book store and find the Alex Beard Impossible Puzzles™ display. Then, create your puzzle art based on Beard’s brand new “Red Peacock” puzzle right there at Borders OR purchase a “Red Peacock” puzzle and create your masterpiece at home or in another creative environment. Wherever you create your masterpiece, don’t forget a camera so you can take a picture of your design! Once you’ve finished creating your own Impossible Puzzle-inspired work of art, go to www.alexbeardimpossiblepuzzles.com, fill out the submission form and upload your photo. All entrants must review and agree to the photo upload terms on the contest site and all entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 7, 2011. For official rules and a full list of Alex Bead Studio products, go to www.alexbeardimpossiblepuzzles.com.
One “Alex Beard Impossible Puzzles™ Contest” Grand Prize Winner will receive a new, original Alex Beard painting inspired by the winning entry. 25 Runners-Up will each receive a signed copy of an Alex Beard Impossible Puzzle. Prize winners will be selected from all eligible entries received during the Contest Period based on creativity and adherence to theme by Alex Beard.
“Art is a medium accessible to everyone,” says Beard. “I try to break down the artistic process by engaging with my audience and I always encourage questions and feedback. My goal in creating the Impossible Puzzles was to make art available to people from all walks of life in a different way, and hopefully open up a new world of creative thinking for them.”
“I was not compensated in any way for this post. I didn’t receive a puzzle. I just wanted to tell you about a fun contest that will make you think outside of the box because thinking inside the box can be lonely…and boring…and stiffling…and well, it isn’t in my nature to think inside the box. Alex Beard really has no clue who I am even though I know who he is. Ohhh, that sounds kinda like I am a stalker doesn’t it? I am really not a stalker. Or at least I don’t think I am. Anyway, all that to say that I wasn’t paid for this post but I was given some of the information and I wanted to share it!”
This is the season…what’s it the season for? Well, for us it is to be thankful for what we have and to help others in any way that we can. We have chosen 2 families to help this Christmas. We will be helping with food, basic necessities and toys for the kids. It isn’t that we have an over-abundance, it is that it has gripped my heart to help out these families because their circumstances are much more dire than ours are…and it could easily be us in that position. We have been there in the past and could be there again someday. So I know what it is to be appreciative of the most basic items like toothpaste, not luxuries like indoor tanning lotions, and I just can’t stand by and do nothing.
My point is this, while you may not be able to do a lot for someone else it only takes a little to make someones day. This Christmas I am challenging each of you to do just a little something for someone that you know is in need. One of my favorite things to do is to go to the Dollar Store and buy a bunch of gloves. They cost $1 each, that isn’t a lot but they mean the world to that cold person that I handed them to. I also like to keep little coupon books from McDonalds or somewhere in the car. They too cost $1 but mean a meal for someone who may otherwise go hungry.
So, it doesn’t have to be alot. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. But I am challenging you to do something and I would love it if you would leave me a comment telling me if you accepted this challenge and what you did. And on December 25th I will choose one commentor at randon to win a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate to treat themselves as a job well done.
I hope everyone has on their calendar to watch ”A Walk In My Shoes” which will be airing on December 3rd at 8/7C on NBC. It will be well worth your time!! We already have the popcorn ready for popping.
My family has been participating in the LISTERINE/REACH Oral Care Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash twice a day for three weeks improving oral health and teaching the importance of taking care of your teeth. Most of the time everyone around here is pretty good about brushing twice a day. Not so much on the flossing and rinsing, but we are working on it.
I LOVE< LOVE< LOVE the Agent Cool Blue by LISTERINE! It has to be my favorite product that they have ever made. You use it before brushing and it tints your kids teeth blue so that the child can see where they still need to brush…and I can easily see where they still need to brush. Best product ever, I am tellin ya! I also like the Smart Rinse that provides extra protection against cavities, cleans the mouth like the regular LISTERINE and strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone. It comes in Pink or Green, you can even get a bottle with Barbie or Batman on it which makes for a great Stocking Stuffer!
Speaking of Stocking Stuffers, my kids all get a new toothbrush in their stocking every year. Without fail. Because it is a tradition, they know it will be there and it isn’t going to be a surprise…but after going through this Oral Care Challenge and trying out the REACH TOTAL CARE + Whitening Toothbrush, Erin has specifically asked for that toothbrush to be in her stocking. It whitens and removes stains using an exclusive Calcium Carbonate Micrawhitening technology. It also has a tongue cleaner which we have come to love having on our toothbrushes.
I have two personal favorites that I have found as a result of taking part in this challenge. I have learned that I really like using a flosser vs. hand-held floss. It’s like having a piece of floss attached to a toothbrush and makes it MUCH easier for me to handle. Me and hand-held floss usually results in disaster, I get frustrated and say forget it. I have also learned that I like the new LISTERINE ZERO mouthwash. It is less intense than the original varieties and contains no alcohol. For me, that is huge since I try not to buy any products that contain alcohol.
What have we learned? We have all learned how to properly take care of our teeth thanks to LISTERINE and REACH. We have all learned that we don’t all like the same size toothbrush, the same mouthwash or the same toothpaste. Knowing what our personal preferences are has made taking care of our teeth a much more pleasant experience.
The makers of LISTERINE and REACH have also teamed up with America’s Toothfairy to launch “Trick or Treat for America’s Toothfairy,” a campaign to raise awareness of pediatric dental disease and help provide life changing care to under-served children.
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of LISTERINE and REACH and received products to take the Oral Care Challenge. Mom Central Consulting also sent me a Global Giving gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
