The Singing Bloggers are Back... and I'm One of Them!!

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Toni of A Daily Dose of Toni arranged for several of us to sing all these parts and worked her little tukus off to put it all together. (Thank you SO much, Toni!) We first present to you the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas.....

And now for our next performance:

 

 

Next, Toni arranged us all, with the help of Trisha and Lynsey, to sing The Twelve Days of Blogging. We all had SO much fun with this and I'm sure you will enjoy listening to it... make sure you listen to the end (it is a little long) because it gets funnier as it goes along.....

 

 

 

Don't forget to visit all the bloggers who participated in this amazing video:

Nicole Olea

The Shewbridges of Central Florida

Yellow Tennessee

A Daily Dose of Toni

Mostcato Mom

Mom Dot

The Blonde Critic

Frosted Fingers

Between The Kids

Dirty Floor Diaries

My Little me

Life With Levi

Joyful Musings

Momma D And Da Boyz

Serendipity Mommy

Mom Luck

 

Thank you so much to Toni again for all her hard work on the videos and for the great graphics  - YOU ROCK, MOMMA!!

 

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Thank You PR for Working with Me!!

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Being a member of the Momdot.com Blogging Community is totally awesome. Not only do I get to meet some of the greatest blogging women and men, learn from them, and get their support in every aspect of my life; I am also able to connect with some fabulous PR reps from awesome companies and work with them to learn about exciting products. Then I get to share them with all of my wonderful readers.

 

Trisha from Momdot.com, along with several other bloggers (listed over on her site) put the following video together to let these fabulous reps know how much we appreciate working with them and how much we appreciate their value of our talents and time.... Please enjoy:

  

Once again, thank you to all the PR reps I have worked with in the past and I look forward to working with many more of you in the future.

If you are looking for a wonderful group of bloggers to hang around with, grow with, and learn from, come and join the Momdot Community.... and if you are a PR firm or business that needs bloggers of any size or any niche for upcoming campaigns, contact Trisha(at)Momdot.com.

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PICK ME - PICK ME for Brandcation: Blog Lodge

Many of you know that I had the ULTIMATE privilege of attending Brandcation in November 2010 with 32 of the MOST fabulous women I have ever met.  I learned so much from those ladies, had so much fun, and made some of the best friends I have ever had, and still have.

This October Momdot and Brandfluential is holding another Brandcation, this time in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in this absolutely gorgeous Log Cabin.....

 

Photos from Momdot.com

Part of the itinerary is to go to Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Titanic Museum, The Old Mill, and The Wax Museum... how AWESOME does that sound? I have ALWAYS wanted to see each of those places, especially since the Dixie Stampede here in Orlando closed.

When I heard about this trip, I was SO excited because I really wanted to go... so Bill and I talked about it and said we were going to save up some money and buy my ticket in a few weeks... WELL, that was NOT to be had! The tickets sold out in a day and a half... my heart broke, there went my chance to see those wonderful women who are so special to me. Maybe next time Bill and I said to each other. =(

BUT GUESS WHAT????  I have one more chance at going to Brandcation!! How is that you say?

Well, there is a special giveaway over at Momdot... Yippee!! (pick me... pick me.... pick me).  It is an amazing giveaway also... the always fabulous Momdot is sponsoring the ticket, the outstanding Minnesota blogger Life with Levi is sponsoring the lodging, AND to help with travel and/or incidental expenses, the spectacular Toni from Just Stop Screaming will be throwing in $100 cash stipend.  That is just incredible for whoever wins... even if it's not me. (pick me... pick me... pick me.)

The only thing you need to do to enter the giveaway is answer one of the two following questions:

1) WHY you want to attend and what it would mean to you

or

2) WHY you want to go to Pigeon Forge and the place you are most excited to visit listed on our iten up there.

So, if you can't tell by know that I have already answered WHY I want to go, I'll tell you again. The group of women who attend Brandcation events are the most friendly, smart, loving, and most important to me, supportive women I have ever met. I still talk to several of the women I met and roomed with every day via email, Facebook, and even texting.  We are there for each other during the good times and the bad times. We are there to laugh, cry, and support each other no matter what we or our families are going through. I know there are some things that I could never have gotten through without these ladies and I cannot wait to see them again to give them each a great big hug!

So even if I am not the lucky one who gets to go to TN, THANK YOU so much to the three wonderful bloggers offering this terrific giveaway to an outstanding event. And good luck to all the ladies who enter!


**UPDATE: My absolutely darling of a husband has just picked up two weeks of work at the Dry Cleaners he used to work at to help defray any costs that may come up JUST IN CASE I am the VERY LUCKY woman who wins this MOST AWESOME ticket...... Do you not just love this man?

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Happy Birthday to my Friend Marie @XmasDolly

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Photo courtesy of Marie's blog

Today is my dear friend Marie from XmasDolly's birthday and I wanted to wish her a super day and hope all her dreams come true!

She and I along with some other wonderfully lovely ladies host Monday's Music Moves Me and Marie does SO much of the work!!

If you have a chance, please head over to Marie's blog to wish her a happy birthday and enter her blogoversary giveaway - or any of her other giveaways... or just look around, she posts terrific photos and great weight loss ideas. Don't forget to tell her I sent you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND!!

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Xmas Ornament Xchange Over at RunDMT - Sign up Until 12/11/2011

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My friend Denise of Run DMT is hosting an ornament exchange that I am participating in and I'd love to help her get more participants along with lots of you, my friends to participate also. I know it is last minute, but I just found out about it because I've had such a busy week - you know with my BIRTHDAY and all... TeeHee!

She is taking sign ups until Sunday, December 11th over at her blog. She really wants to make this a special kind of exchange, more meaningful, she wants everyone to send an ornament that reflects what Christmas feels like in your corner of the world. Your ornament should represent your hometown. I am so excited to participate in this exchange and see what ornaments look like from all over the country.

Don't forget, there are only a few days left to sign up for Denise's Xmas Ornament Xchange.

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Thank You to My Bloggy Friend Tami

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My dear friend Tami of Misc. Ramblings reviewed the book Photobooth Dogs by Cameron Woo and I left a comment on her blog about how adorable the book seemed and that it looked like something I would do with my babies. Tami is also an animal lover like me and has a menagerie of pets at her home that she has rescued. Her heart is as huge as the Grinch's at the end of the movie.

The other day in my mailbox was a padded envelope with the book inside from my darling friend Tami... she knew how much I would appreciate it and sent it to me as an early birthday/Christmas gift. It put a huge smile on my face and in my heart... so much so that I wanted to share her kindness with all of you.

Thank you so much Tami, you made my day and my week. I lubs you!!

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More Gifts for the Person Who Has Everything.....

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Do you have that ONE person who it is just impossible to by a gift for? You know the one, no matter what you get them, you get that fake smile and a thank you and then you are asked for the receipt so that the gift can be returned for something that they can find that is more "appropriate."

Well, I have found some gifts that will make anyone and everyone happy... take a look and decide for yourself who you will be getting these for, or maybe you will be keeping them all for yourself.

The Fingerprint Recognizing Espresso Machine..... This is the espresso machine that scans your fingertip to identify and make your preferred coffee drink. Simply place your finger on the biometric scanner to program the kind of drink, amount of coffee, and strength-the machine will make the specified drink every time you scan your finger.  The control panel allows you to make drinks other than the one associated with your fingerprint, the machine brews pre-ground coffee, and it has a removable 54 oz. water tank with an integrated filter. Stores up to six fingerprints and drink profiles in its database...... $ 3,200.00

The External Combustion Kraftwagen..... This is the fully operational car powered by an external combustion Stirling engine. Made in Germany from machine-tooled solid brass, stainless steel, and aluminum, it uses the thermodynamic principle of a regenerative heat engine powered by the expansion and compression of air. Non-toxic exhaust from a full burner of ethyl alcohol allows you to operate the engine for up to 20 minutes allowing the car to perform autonomous circles while it putters efficiently..... $ 999.00

                                                              

The Copper Alembic Perfume Distiller..... Handcrafted in the Iberian Peninsula by Al-Ambik, reminiscent of those used for over 1,200 years to extract essential oils from plants for use in perfumes. It was invented around 775 A.D. by Jabir Ibn Haiyan, renowned as the Father of Chemistry..... $ 349.95

The Swiss Watchmaker's Boîte à Musique..... This is the Swiss-crafted music box that transforms meticulous watch movement into mellifluous melody. This heirloom is expertly crafted by Reuge-renowned horologists since 1865-in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, considered the birthplace of the mechanical music box. Requiring a three-month, 34-step production process for completion, its accurate Cartel 4.144 movement includes a rotating brass cylinder lined with resin for ideal tonal quality and set with 3,800 wire pins that pluck two 72-note tempered-steel combs in perfect time. The music box produces four different 50-second musical selections exactly as they would sound from 19th century music boxes..... $25,300.00

***This is the one that I really want. So feel free to take up a collection for me***  =)

The Heated Full Body Massage Chair..... This is the only full-body massage chair that combines the invigorating touch of a massage therapist's hands with the restorative sensation of hot stone therapy. Thermal rollers in the chair's back deliver concentrated warmth that increases blood flow to help soothe and relax sore lumbar muscles. The rejuvenating rollers travel from the neck to the waist, replicating the gentle palm style of Swedish massage or the deep-tissue kneading of Shiatsu. Internal sensors make a virtual map of the body's contours so the rollers apply their efforts in the ideal locations along the back and spine. The chair also features hand and arm massagers in the arm rest, airbags around the midsection that massage hips, thighs and glutes, and a footrest with cushions that knead feet and calves for a realistic massage experience..... $7,000.00

So, there you have it... the perfect gifts for everyone on your list - including ME!!

Wising you all a joyous holiday season filled with happiness, love and lots of HUGGLES!!

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{Disclosure: All of these items can be found in the Hammacher Schlemmer Gift Supplement 2011 Catalogue or online at hammacher.com - I have not been compensated in any way by the company... although God I wish I was!! I LOVE their company and would give my left kidney to review any one of these items listed here, especially the massage chair ~~ Hint Hint!!}

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Monday's Music Moves Me: October 24, 2011 - I'm Thinking About All My Friends

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<br /><a href="http://thenewxmasdolly.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz61/xmasdolly/Decorated%20images/th_retromusic1-1.gif" /></a><br /><br />

Welcome to a Monday's Music Moves Me, the fantabulistic music meme hosted by me, my dearest of friends Dolly from XmasDolly, Callie from Jamerican Spice and the wonderful Stacy from Stacy Uncorked. This week's theme is FREEBIE! So, what's moving you today???

I've been thinking about all my friends this week. Some have been having some difficulties, others have been really supportive of me, and I even got to see one of my good bloggy friends that I haven't seen in a year and a half. So today I'm posting songs about FRIENDSHIP.....

You've Got a Friend in Me ~ Randy Newman




You're My Best Friend ~ Queen



With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beetles



And one fun one to close it out......

Thank You For Being a Friend ~ The Golden Girls Theme





So for all of my great friends - and you know who you are - those are for you!  Now, what's moving you today? Write up a post and let us know... Here is all you need to do to play along:

First step: Head on over to You Tube, or anywhere you get your music videos and post them on your blog! Upcoming themes are to you LOWER RIGHT of XmasDolly's blog.

Second Step: Grab our "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button, mine is on my right sidebar, or off of any of the hosts' sites.

Third step: SIGN THE LINKY - Follow your hosts, grab their buttons too when you visit them and show them some love by leaving a comment.. (mine is on my right sidebar above the 4M button)

Final step: Go visit the other Rockers on our Linky and PLEASE show them some love by leaving them a comment, you know you like comments, they do too!



Once you write up your post, link up with us (on any of the host's blog - they are all connected) and you may be chosen as our SPOTLIGHT DANCERS like this week's lucky couple in our #1 and #2 linky spots.....

Cathy of Cathy Kennedy's Blog ~~ and ~~ Stacey of Artsnark's Artifacts

CONGRATULATIONS!!

If you are one of the lucky ones who is chosen for our spotlight dance, don't forget to grab the Spotlight Dancer Button from Dolly's right sidebar and proudly display it on your blog... WooHoo!

Now, don't forget to sign the linky, visit the participants, and leave a comment - you know you like them, so does everyone else. For more Monday music fun, visit Lady Estrogen and my friend Denise at Run DMT.

ROCK ON MY FRIENDS!!!

We're very sorry to say there are some people not playing along just using our linky to get traffic for their blogs! Unfortunately, these bloggers will be marked and ignored, you will not get any benefit from our linky, so don't bother. All we ask is that you leave a comment, grab our button, ad/or follow us. If you don't want to post a video, you can post a link to a video, or post some lyrics, but please - at least attempt to make it music related.

*** Just one more thing...

PLEASE, we are family friendly blogs and while we really don't want to censor anyone,

but we do ask that you keep your songs rated PG13 or less.

If you find that you need to post songs of an explicit sexual nature or language,

please find a different venue. If your song does contain a small amount of questionable language, please put a disclaimer BEFORE the video.

Thank you very much!***




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I LOVE Getting Together with Blogger Friends

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I was so thrilled when Crystal of Simply Being Mommy contacted me via Twitter and told me that she was in Orlando at a conference for Ford - make sure subscribe to her blog so you can see WHY she was there, you will be AMAZED!!  She and her family weren't going to be there for too long, but we were able to get together this morning for brunch at the Hilton Bonnet Creek where she was staying. We had such a great time and it wasn't even like we had just been together, not like it had been a year and a half since we'd seen each other. Except for how big her kids had gotten - WOW.

Here are some photos from our all to short get together......




Peyton



Rylan and Peyton





Taylor



Sleepy Peyton, Ryan (Daddy Digest), Taylor and Rylan 



Peyton, Crystal and Me



Crystal and Peyton



I SO can't wait for Crystal, Ryan and the kids to come visit again... for much longer. They are all so sweet and, I know Crystal will disagree with me, but her kids are really just the BEST.

Becoming "real life" friends with your "bloggy" friends is such a magnificent thing that if you EVER have the opportunity to meet some of the people you have gotten to know while blogging, I definitely suggest you take advantage of it... you will NOT regret it.

HUGGLES to you all Crystal, Ryan, Taylor, Peyton and especially to my little buddy Rylan!! =)

{Disclaimer: Text links are provided for my readers because I lubs you guys, I was not paid by any of the companies represented here. However IF any of these companies would like to work with me, I would love to represent you.}

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