Category Archives: Giveaway

30 Day Giving Challenge Day 8 2012

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The House of Hills is once again participating in the

30 DAY GIVING CHALLENGE!

Our goal is to give something EVERY day of the month. Big or small, every give is a gift to someone! Join the giving with us. We’d love to hear what you’re doing.

Today’s give was actually a culmination of several days of giving. I mentioned Day 2 of the Giving Challenge that I had sent some goodies with our AMAZING customer service team. Well, actually, I sent more than that, but I didn’t want them to know so I couldn’t blog about it.

The leaders of the different teams in my company had teamed up so we could send a gift for every day of the retreat. Each day, they opened a bag and found something fun inside.

  • Day One: A funny video we made for them as well as popcorn and M&Ms to eat while they watched it.
  • Day Two: Individual baggies of Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses.
  • Day Three: Fuzzy socks to wear on the chilly nights.
  • Day Four: The book “Jesus Calling” with a hand written note inside.

They all really appreciated the gifts. I heard that they looked forward to the surprise every day. So much fun.

I also heard that the thing they LOVED the MOST was the hand written notes. In a world where everything is read on a computer screen, it is so refreshing to actually read something on a piece of paper. And, everybody knows that it takes more time to hand write something than it does to type it. A hand written notes really shows that you care about the person and that they are important to you.

The best part about hand written notes—they don’t cost much. You don’t even have to have a fancy note card. Paper will do.

So, I challenge you today! Before the end of the month, I challenge you to write a note to someone. Take a minute to just tell someone why they are special. Wouldn’t it be AWESOME to pass out notes at Thanksgiving telling your friends and family how thankful you are for them!

So, write a note! Then, come back and share who you wrote it to. I’d love to see this post blow up with comments!!!

You know what! I’m going to make it even more fun! (I’m totally thinking of this while I’m typing.) Let’s do a GIVEAWAY! Everyone who comments on this post telling me who they wrote a note to will be entered to win a $10 Target Gift Card (from me) so they can buy a set of pretty note cards.

GO!

WRITE A NOTE!

Then, come back and comment! WHOOP!

Giveaway will end November 30th. One comment per note you write. This is totally my idea. Nobody gave me anything. Have fun!!

Follow the 30 Day Giving Challenge on Twitter and Facebook.

 

40 POUNDS OF CHICKEN!!! {and, a giveaway}

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That’s right. 40 pounds of chicken. People, that is A LOT of chicken. And, I got it for free. Why? ‘Cause Zaycon Foods wanted me to tell you all about them. I am SO HAPPY to tell you all about them.Why?

IT WAS THE BEST CHICKEN I’VE EVER HAD!

Seriously! The BEST! And people, I’ve had A LOT of chicken in my day.

What makes their chicken so great? The fact that two days before it was on my counter it was walking around on the farm enjoying the good life. When I received it, it was fresh and hadn’t been frozen. It was DELICIOUS chicken.

Do you want to see what 40 pounds of chicken looks like?

Yep, that’s a big box of chicken. Now, take a look at the size of the breasts…

Seriously amazing right!

It did take me a couple hours to break down this massive box of chicken. It was worth every minute. I threw about half of it into my three crock pots with some Italian dressing.

After it was done, I was able to chop it up and mix up double batches of three different casseroles for the freezer.

A batch of buffalo chicken dip for the next day.

And still have an entire container of chopped chicken that I eventually baggied into 2 cup portions and put in the freezer.

I also froze several breasts (cut in half) for our enjoyment later on.

40 pounds of chicken goes a long way and will be feeding our family (and others) for quite awhile. The next time I have an opportunity to get some, I will for sure be PURCHASING it!

That’s right! Zaycon Foods is launching distribution in GA (and MANY OTHER STATES) this fall, and we can purchase it! You and me both! Amazingly fresh chicken breasts for $1.69 a pound. Whoop!

I got an email from Zaycon Foods yesterday saying that they would be in Georgia sometime between September 28 and October 5. They will be visiting several of the metro-area cities and even further south : Norcross, Canton, Columbus, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, Warner Robbins. If you are in or near any of these cities, you need to jump online and sign up now!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Go to Zaycon Foods and register. You MUST do this so that they can notify you when they will be in the area. (I would love if you would use the reference “houseofhills” so I can get a credit. You can then get a link to email your friends so you can get credits. It’s a win win.)
  2. They will email you when they will be in your area and tell you of the deal they’ll be offering.
  3. You order and pay online.
  4. You drive to appointed place at the appointed time and they fill your trunk with quality meat.
  5. You go home and start breaking it down thinking of all the yumminess your family will enjoy for weeks to come.

If you are not in Georgia, I encourage you to go online and register anyway. Then, when they are coming to a city near you, you will be notified.

Zaycon Foods is so excited about their launch (I am too. Can you tell?) that they are doing a giveaway right here on the House of Hills! Can I get a whoop whoop!?

They are giving away a $65 credit to your Zaycon Foods account. Yep, that’s almost the entire cost of a 40 pound box of chicken. And, if you win and they don’t currently service your area, they will send you a check for $30 for you to go buy some chicken at the store. Isn’t that nice?

Do you want to win $65 worth of free chicken? I know you do. Here’s how:

  • Pop on over to Zaycon Foods and check them out. Come back and tell me one new thing you discovered about them. (I’d love you to sign up while you’re over there.)

For extra entries:

Winner will be drawn on September 18th at noon!

UPDATE: Congratulations Penny W! You won. Please check your email.

 
 
 
Disclosure: Zaycon Foods supplied me with 40 pounds of chicken to try and the credit for the giveaway. All opinions are my own. Links to Zaycon Foods are affiliate links.

Scott Test Drive and Giveaway

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I’ve been test driving…have you been test driving? Have you taken the pledge?

Did you know that if we all test drove Scott Natural products for a week, we’d save 2 million trees. 2 million trees…that’s quite a few trees.

You could test drive the products…save some trees…

You know what else you could do… You could click this link and help the National Wildlife Federation. Yep, you could. For every unique click on this link, Scott Naturals is donating a dollar to the National Wildlife Federation. You could help them out without even leaving your chair. That’s pretty cool. Just click this link. Yep, that’s it.

You know what else you could do? You could win a box of Scott Natural products to try for yourself. The House of Hills has REALLY enjoyed the test drive and will be investing in more of the products, especially the paper towels, in the future.

To enter the giveaway:

  • To celebrate the whole “test-drive” idea, tell me the coolest car you’ve ever taken for a test drive.
  • (Additional Entry) Click through and take the pledge to take a 4-week Test Drive. You’ll also be making a donation to the NWF. Then, leave me a comment and let me know you did.

Giveaway winner will be chosen at random on May 9th and the winner notified via email.

Disclosure: I was provided with products to review and giveaway and was compensated for this post by Scott Naturals and The Motherhood. However, all opinions are mine.

Let’s Talk Paper Towels

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Scott Naturals was kind enough to send me a fun box of goodies to test drive and tell you all about. It had these fabulous four products in it.

My favorite out of the entire box (and yes, we’ve tried them all) is the paper towels. They’re a little rougher than our other paper towels – you  know, since they’re made from recycled stuff and all – but I think that makes them better! They are VERY absorbent, extremely tough, and awesomely useful! I plan to continue to purchase these paper towels after the trial is finished because they work. A bonus – they are better for the environment. Yay!

You can win your own box of fabulous goodies. If you do win, will you give your paper towels to me? Just kidding… well, sorta.

To enter the giveaway:

  • Tell me what you use your paper towels for the most.
  • (Additional Entry) Click through and take the pledge to take a 4-week Test Drive. You’ll also be making a donation to the NWF. Then, leave me a comment and let me know you did.

Giveaway winner will be chosen at random on May 13th and the winner notified via email.

Update: Giveaway winner will be chosen on May 9th. I can’t count days apparently.

Disclosure: I was provided with products to review and giveaway and was compensated for this post by Scott Naturals and The Motherhood. However, all opinions are mine.

Can I go outside?

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“Can I go outside?” says the Princess EVERY day after school. Do you know how excited I am to hear this? Can she go outside? Um, YES! YES! YES! Please go outside. Please run and play and get some exercise. Please do!

I get very excited when I hear this question for several reasons. First, I didn’t hear it very often when we were in our interim house. We were so thankful to be hanging out in that house while ours was built, but there weren’t many kids on the street. I almost NEVER heard that question. Now, there are over ten little girls within shouting distance. LOVE IT! And, so does the Princess.

Second, my Princess needs to get daily exercise. All little princes and princesses need to get daily exercise. They do! This is coming from someone who HATES to exercise. But, when you’re playing and running and having fun, it doesn’t seem like exercise. I love to watch my Princess having fun outside.

While the Princess usually just runs around and hangs with the friends, sometimes, she needs help discovering an activity. Did you know that the National Wildlife Federation has an activity finder? It does. You can go to their website, and find some fun activities for kids to do outside. We all need to be outside more! With Earth Day just a few days away, what better way to be kind to our earth than being outside and enjoying the splendor of all that God made!

Speaking of the National Wildlife Federation, have you checked out the Scott Naturals’ Four Week Test Drive? For each click on this link, Scott Naturals will donate $1 to National Wildlife Federation.

I’m taking the test drive and trying out their products and LOVING them. You can win your own box of products. That’s right! I’m giving away ANOTHER BOX! Whoop!

You know you want it. You know you do…

To enter the giveaway:

  • Let me know one thing your kids (or friends’ kids or you) like to do outside.
  • (Additional Entry) Click through and take the pledge to take a 4-week Test Drive. You’ll also be making a donation to the NWF. Then, leave me a comment and let me know you did.

Giveaway winner will be chosen at random on May 13th and the winner notified via email.

Update: Giveaway winner will be chosen on May 9th. I can’t count days apparently.

Disclosure: I was provided with products to review and giveaway and was compensated for this post by Scott Naturals and The Motherhood. However, all opinions are mine.

Opening Boxes

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For those of you following along, you know that the House of Hills moved this weekend. It was an exciting adventure filled with MANY, MANY boxes. If you’ve ever moved, you know that opening boxes can be both exciting and deflating. Exciting because you find things you forgot you had. Deflating because you now have to find somewhere to put those things!

There was one box that came in the mail right before we moved that I was VERY EXCITED to open! This is what was in it!

Fun right!

We use A LOT of paper products here at the House of Hills. Too many I’m sure. That’s why I’m excited to try Scott Naturals. They are made with recycled fiber. I can be green and use my paper products. Whoop!

Scott Naturals sent me a box of products to test drive. We are testing them out at the House of Hills, and I’ll let you know how it’s going next week. I’m already impressed with the paper towels, but more later.

The coolest thing – Scott Naturals wants you to take a test drive too! In fact, Scott Naturals is providing one of my readers with their very own box of products to try. How fabulous is that!?

To enter the giveaway:

  • Let me know the craziest thing you’ve found in a box when moving.
  • (Additional Entry) Click through and take the pledge to take a 4-week Test Drive. You’ll also be making a donation to the NWF. Then, leave me a comment and let me know you did.

Giveaway winner will be chosen at random on May 13th and the winner notified via email.

Update: Giveaway winner will be chosen on May 9th. I can’t count days apparently.

Disclosure: I was provided with products to review and giveaway and was compensated for this post by Scott Naturals and The Motherhood. However, all opinions are mine.

30 Day Give: Burp Cloth Giveaway

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Okay friends. This photo doesn’t do this burp cloth justice. It’s adorable. Beautiful even. You know you want it. If not for you, then for someone you know.

I love pretty burp cloths. We had several of them when the Princess was young. We had the “going out” burp cloths and the “at home” burp cloths. The one above – it would have been a “going out” burp cloth. There is nothing that says “I love this baby” more than accessorizing him or her with a lovely burp cloth.

I received the above burp cloth when I won a giveaway from Just a Chick. She was giving away a credit for one of her favorite sites. It’s now one of mine. Adorable stuff ladies!

Go check out Studio MCA Designs!!!

She has a lovely supply of already made burp cloths OR you can get some personalized. Ahhh… personalized burp cloths. Those say that the baby is REALLY loved!

Leave a comment below telling me to whom you would give this adorable burp cloth to enter the giveaway.

Additional entries:

Contest ends at 11:59 Eastern time on November 30, 2010.

Disclosure: I won the burp cloths and am sharing with my bloggy friends. All opinions are my own.
Congratulations Kelli – You’re the winner!

30 Day Give: Christmas CD Giveaway

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Thanksgiving is over. That means it’s time for CHRISTMAS!!!! I love Christmas. I love Christmas cookies. I love Christmas gatherings. I love Christmas parties. I just LOVE CHRISTMAS. And nothing gets you in the Christmas spirit more than some good Christmas music.

Have I got a CD for you. In all honesty, I’ve been listening to this CD since Halloween. Seriously. Halloween. It’s that good. It’s got some of the classics, but it has some amazingly beautiful new songs too. You’re going to want to get it. For Real. Operation Christmas child  teamed up with North Point and used one of the songs for some of their videos this year. It’s an awesome song!

I’ve aleady given the CD to all my siblings and my parents. Tonight, as we were preparing to leave the beach, I saw it at the top of everyone’s car bag. They’re ready to get in the Christmas spirit on the drive tomorrow. You need to get in the Christmas spirit too!

You can get the CD at any of the North Point Community Church campuses.

You can get the CD at the North Point Online Bookstore.

You can get the CD at iTunes.

Or, you can win it HERE!!! North Point Resources has kindly given me one copy to give away on the blog.

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song.

Additional entries:

  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Subscribe to The House of Hills

Contest ends at midnight Eastern time on November 30, 2010.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Disclosure: North Point Resources provided me with a copy of this CD to give away. All opinions are my own.

30 Day Give: SPOTLIGHT on The Mercy House (Giveaway)

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One of my prayers for the 30 Day Giving Challenge is that I will introduce some giving opportunities to others. I want to share causes that burden my heart and soul and see if they touch yours as well. One of these causes is THE MERCY HOUSE.

I was introduced to THE MERCY HOUSE through it’s founder, Kristen of We Are That Family. I dropped in on Kristen’s blog months ago to link up to Works For Me Wednesday. I keep going back every day because God has used her to stir my heart (and that of many others) almost daily. She and her family are givers. They look for needs, and they fill them. She has organized more giving drives in one year than I have in my entire life. God used all the previous giving challenge to prepare her and her readers for the ultimate challenge. She is working to open a Maternity Home in Kenya. Yes, in Africa. Tell me that’s not a big challenge.

However, Kristen and her family are not alone in this challenge. It has stirred many. It has greatly stirred me. I’ve always had a tender spot for young, unwed mothers. Perhaps it’s from walking with a friend in high school who we thought was pregnant for a time. The decision that friend was trying to make was overwhelming. Perhaps its from loving on young mothers at church who even in much better circumstances than Kenya are suffocating under the intense responsibility that is motherhood. Perhaps it’s having birthed a child surrounded by love and support and kindness and not being able to imagine doing it any other way. Whatever the reason, God has stirred my heart for the young mothers in Africa. They have my prayers daily.

Not only do they have my prayers, but they have my money monthly. I’ve signed up for THE POWER OF THREE. On the 3rd of each month, I give $3 to THE MERCY HOUSE. It might seem small, but it’s consistent. It will become part of my monthly budget. These girls are that important. They deserve to be part of the House of Hills budget.

Today is the 3rd of November. It’s time to give again. I am thankful to do so.

What are you doing this 3rd of November? Do you plan to get a coffee? Do you plan to go out to lunch? Do you plan to download a few tunes?

Do you want to do something even more important with those $3? You could make a difference in the life a woman and a child in a far away land who need you, although they don’t even know you. You have the power to change a life. With just $3.

Another way to give to THE MERCY HOUSE is by purchasing items from their shop on Etsy. They’ve got some beautiful things, and I was lucky enough to win one of their necklaces a few weeks ago from Ohamanda. Ironically, I won it by commenting on her blog that I had just purchased some necklaces to give as gifts.

I also purchased one for ONE OF YOU!

That’s right, it’s a giveaway!!!

Not only can you win this beautiful necklace, but THE MERCY HOUSE will win as well. For each comment on this post (one per person please), the House of Hills will donate an additional $3 to THE MERCY HOUSE this month. You can enter the giveaway and make a difference at the same time. How awesome is that?! Feel free to tell your friends.

So comment below to win the necklace and help change lives of young girls on the other side of the world.

This giveaway and the comment matching donation will run through Friday, November 5th at 11:59PM.

I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do through THE MERCY HOUSE and am excited to be a part of it. Don’t you want to be a part of it too?

Disclosure: I purchased this necklace for you, my readers. All opinions are my own.

Things I Love Thursday:New Preschool Worship – Giveaway

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All kids LOVE music. I mean they get to wiggle and dance and jump and groove. All to the fun sounds of music. At least that’s the kind of music the Princess has always LOVED. One of her favorite things to do is to put her headphones on, clip her iPod shuffle to her shirt and shimmy all over the house. It’s hysterical to watch (not that I ever actually laughed out loud at her – that would be a bad mommy).

You know what’s even better than music? Music that teaches something important. Music that imprints the Word of God on tiny little hearts. I can honestly say there is nothing more beautiful than hearing my child sing “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. Ya ya, Ya ya!” in an off key voice at the top of her lungs. Or “I’ve got to R E A D my B I B L E! That’s how God teaches me,” while she lathers up in the shower. It’s pure joy.

There is a new Preschool Worship CD out by the reThink Group called “ONE BIG GULP” It has thirteen amazing, totally preschool friendly songs on it that have the Princess hopping and dancing all over the house. Now, I know she’s not a preschooler anymore, but she still loves them. I mean LOVES them. All of the songs are short, with repetitive verses so your preschooler can be singing along in a heartbeat. All of the songs make a little body want to dance and sing out loud. It’s just a lot of fun!

The reThink Group gave me not ONE but TWO “ONE BIG GULP” CDs to give away to my readers. How is that for some love. I can’t wait to share this music with you!

In order to win a CD:

1. Comment below telling me your preschooler/child’s favorite worship song (or just song in general).

2. Follow me on Twitter be sure to put a separate comment that you follow

3. Subscribe to House of Hills – be sure to put a separate comment that you subscribe.

Contest ends 03.21.10 at Midnight Easter Time.

Disclosure: I was given one copy of this CD to review and two copies to give away. The opinions of the CD are my own (and the Princess’s). I am an employee of the reThink group. However, I’m sharing this with you because I know you’ll love it!

Linked to Things I Love Thursdays.