Which Room Would You Makeover If You Won the Armstrong Residential Ceilings “Style Is Looking Up” Giveaway? #MC

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Armstrong Residential Ceilings. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions expressed are my own.

Armstrong Residential's Drop Panel Metallaire Vine Ceiling (Photo from Armstrong Ceiling Gallery)

We have painted ceilings in every room in our home and, to be honest, I had never paid much attention to them aside from noticing the occasional cobweb.  That was until we had a plumbing issue upstairs about a month ago and the water from the pipes leaked from behind the wall of the shower down into the ceiling of our kitchen.  Now it's all I can do to not look up at the ceiling because our nicely painted white ceiling currently has an unsightly brown-yellow spot approximately a foot wide on it.

Although my husband was a able to install hardwood flooring in our living room and even repair the plumbing issue we had upstairs himself, we are not as confident about our ability to fix the ceiling ourselves beyond just repainting it.  One thing we've learned about DIY home projects is that we need to recognize our limits, especially when I'm dreaming about a tin tile or drop panel ceiling.

Which ceiling could use a makeover in your home? Through March 15th, you can enter for a chance to win a $2,500 grand prize room makeover, which includes an Armstrong ceiling, an installation credit, and a $1,000 Lowe’s gift card, in the Armstrong Residential Ceilings"Style Is Looking Up” Giveaway.  Also through to March 15th, Armstrong Residential Ceilings will select a winner each week to receive a $50 Lowe’s gift card!  Visit Armstrong Residential Ceilings on Facebook to enter and for the official contest rules.

Have Fun Making Pixel Art with M&M's While Entering to Win an Xbox One Forza 5 Prize Pack! #FueledByMM #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This M&M shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study about an 8-bit sprite pixel art contest for Collective Bias and its client.

Last week, my husband and I sat down to do a jigsaw puzzle without the children for the first time in a long time.  It turned out to be a nice quiet and stress-free evening.  The best part was that we sat face-to-face, as opposed to forehead-to-forehead.  What I mean is, we usually are sitting across from each other at our computers and the only part we see of each other is our foreheads peeping over our monitors.  Since we had so much fun with the jigsaw puzzle, I thought I'd invite my husband to join in on the Gaming is Better with M Pixel Art Contest on Instagram.  To my delight, he accepted my invitation (most likely because he wanted to win an Xbox One and Forza 5 prize pack) and we soon learned that creating pixel art with M&M's, although extremely fun, was not as easy as we thought it would be.

Want to play along?  First you'll need some M&M's.  I went to Walmart and was faced with making a choice from more types of M&M's than I knew existed.  I chose Peanut Butter M&M's because they sounded tasty.  They ended up being delicious, but if I had to choose again, I would have chosen the classic milk chocolate M&M's because they are more consistent in size and shape.  Even though our candy pieces were a little rounder and varied a bit in size, we still had a blast constructing our 8-bit sprites.  The most difficult part of it was remembering that we were working on a fixed grid (like on a peg board) that requires all your pieces to line up in perfect rows, both vertically and horizontally.

Here is what we came up with . . . 

We tried to stick with a racing theme, since Xbox is celebrating the release of the new Forza 5 game.  I was super-impressed by my husband because he was able to create an 8-bit sprite for almost anything that popped into our heads, including a racetrack, race car, and checkered flag.

Because of the size of our Peanut Butter M&M's, it took me several tries to make this finish line.  I think the next time we do this, I'm going to look for the mini baking M&Ms, whose smaller size would allow our designs to be more elaborate.

My favorite of all the 8-bit sprites I created is the first place trophy.  I attempted several times to put handles on it, but decided that it looks better without.  What do you think?

Are you all revved up to enter to win an Xbox One Prize Pack?  Just follow these easy steps . . .

• Create your own Pixel Art using M&M's (R) candies and snap an Instagram Photo. 
• Tag your image with #FueledByM AND #Contest and post the image on Instagram and Twitter.

One lucky Pixel Artist will win a new Xbox One and Gaming is better with M pack including the Forza 5 Motorsport game and a 14 oz bag of M&Ms(R). Contest runs Dec. 4th - Dec. 18th and winner will be chosen at random.

Be sure to stop by the Gaming is Better with M contest page to see all the creative entries.

Are you a Walmart shopper?  Here's how you can get a $10 Walmart eGift Card to help with your Holiday shopping . . .

Buy, Snap, Redeem!

• Buy Forza 5 game at Walmart

• Buy participating M&M’s products at Walmart  (Participating products include: M&Ms Peanut 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Milk 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut Butter 38oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Pretzel 30oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Milk 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Peanut Butter 18.4oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Pretzel 15.4oz Large Laydown Bag.)

• Snap a photo of qualifying items on the receipt on your phone and text it to 811811. Include the code M&M with the picture of your Walmart receipt. Game and M&M’s must be purchased on the same receipt between November 22nd, 2013 and December 31st, 2013.

• Redeem: You will receive a text back with a reward code valid for a $10 eGift Card to Walmart.

Bring Good Moments to the Dinner Table with McCain Potatoes

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCain Foods. I received a sample to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating. All opinions expressed are my own.

One of my biggest complaints about my life is how busy and hectic our household is.  We are pretty much always in a rush and that includes getting dinner on the table.  We have 3 children with 3 different levels of pickiness when it comes to food.  Our 9 year old son is most open to eating almost everything we serve him.  Our 6 year old daughter is open to trying everything at least once, but her list of foods she likes is definitely shorter than her big brother's.  Her twin brother is reluctant to try anything new and randomly moves foods from his 'likes' list to his 'does not like' list.  All of the above is true, even when it comes to the most kid-friendly food in the world . . . french fries.

Luckily for us, McCain potatoes makes it easy for us to please everybody.  Every member of the family has his or her own favorite.  It's so easy for us to make more than one variety of french fries.  The three types of fries we usually serve are McCain 5 Minute Fries, Seasoned Spirals, and Smiles.  Also, somehow our children seem much more willing to eat their veggies when they are served next to a generous serving of fries.  Bottom line is that, thanks to McCain Potato products, at least some of our family dinners can be less stressful and even fun, bringing good moments and memories to the dinner table!

Recently, we served the children a dinner consisting of 3 types of McCain french fries, freshly made hamburgers (with optional bacon, mushrooms, and Swiss or American cheese), and a tiny bit of spinach salad.  If you can believe it, our 6 year old son complained about having to eat his bacon cheeseburger.  He did end up eating it though!  Why? . . . because we also gave the children empty plates to use as canvases to make food art.  Yes, we told them they could play with their food as long as they were eating it too.  Well, they didn't dare eat all their fries first because that would end their play all too quickly, so they gobbled up their burgers and salad.

After I showed them a few things I could make using my food, the children enjoyed themselves thoroughly making their own creations while they ate.  Here are some examples of what they came up with . . .

Here's another one of mine (yes, I had fun playing with my food too!) . . .

McCain wants you to have plenty of chances to bring good moments to your dinner table!  Through November 4th, McCain will randomly draw one winner every week to receive a $500 grocery gift card.  Be sure to enter by visiting McCain on Facebook.  After you enter, remember to grab your coupon for $1 off any one bag of McCain Potato products.

“Load up on groceries your family loves, and bring naturally good moments to the dinner table every time you serve McCain Potatoes."

To learn about how McCain has reformulated its potato product lines to be more natural and free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives when possible, visit www.McCain.com.

What Would You Do During the First Few Moments if You Learned You Had Won the PCH $5,000 a Week "Forever” Sweepstakes?

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting sponsored by Publishers Clearing House. I received a product sample and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I don’t know anybody that does not dream from time to time of having some or more financial stability. I can say it is on my mind at one point or another every single day. I often find myself asking “what if” in regards to winning a lottery or a sweepstakes.

I think the most fun part of fantasizing about winning money is thinking about how you would react upon learning the news. We all know what house or car we would buy, or what travelling expenses or bills we would pay, but what would you do during the first few moments? Who would you call? I would probably lock myself in a room for a bit as I am sure my emotions would get the best of me. I also don’t think I would feel content until everybody in the world I owed money to had a check heading their way.

We all so often think about winning some jackpot worth millions and millions of dollars that wouldn't require much thought on spending (not immediately anyways), but what about winning a much smaller but periodic prize . . . say $5,000 per week for life? I find thinking about a prize like that much more fun. What would you do with your first check? Would you pay bills or treat your family to something? I have my own ideas, but one thing for certain is that I would love to have to make that decision some day. What a problem to have!

When I was a kid growing up, the lottery was not even on my radar.  If you were going to win money, the only show in town was Publishers Clearing House. I used to get so excited when the postman would deliver anything from PCH (Publishers Clearing House). I would go as far as saying that PCH is a part of our culture. I would bet that every single person of my generation recognizes the PCH crew knocking on somebody's door declaring them a winner (and wishing it were them!)

PCH has a new sweepstakes where you can not only win $5,000 a week forever, you can select an inheritor to also receive $5,000 for life! Imagine not only securing your finances forever, but you can pass that security on to somebody else!

With the Publishers Clearing House Win $5,000 a Week Forever sweepstakes, I am reliving some of the excitement I had when I was a child growing up with the possibility of becoming rich. It’s fun to think about all of the things I could do for my family that I could otherwise never do for them. Think of all the places we could go or even something as simple as being able to spend more time with my kids . . . unstressed time not worrying about money or the financial burden that often preoccupies me when I’m with them.

Oh.... And how well I would sleep at night...

NBC will be announcing the this year's winner of the "Forever" sweepstakes today, so hurry up and enter!

uncomplicate. Your Life with J.Jill this Spring

 For some women, it is difficult to imagine looking put together, feminine, and confident while being completely comfortable . . . both in her own skin and her clothes.  The truth is that how complicated her outfit is directly affects how complicated her day will be.  What woman needs to add worrying about having something out of place, taking a less-than-graceful step in her high heels, and being uncomfortable to her already busy day?  Not this one!

For Spring 2013, J.Jill has gone all out to help women uncomplicate. their lives in two ways.  The first is through a new collection of separates, dresses, shoes, accessories, and jewelry all done in neutral and soft tones.  These pieces are easy to coordinate and make it very simple to create worry-free ensembles for work, home, and play.


The second way J.Jill is kicking off the uncomplicate. campaign is by partnering with More, Martha Stewart Living, and Real Simple Magazines to offer three incredible prizes for their Give the Gift of uncomplicate. Sweepstakes on Facebook . . .

• Grand Prize #1 is a dinner party courtesy of Martha Stewart Living plus a $500 J.Jill shopping spree. (Must enter before April 1st, 2013)
• Grand Prize #2 is a closet makeover with a Real Simple organization specialist plus a $1000 J.Jill shopping spree.  (Must enter before April 8th, 2013)
• Grand Prize #3 is a head-to-toe style makeover by More magazine plus a $1000 J.Jill shopping spree.  (Must enter before April 25th, 2013)

Enter to uncomplicate. the life of  a special woman you know by submitting her photo and telling J.Jill why she deserves one of those fantastic Grand Prizes.  Entries will be judged on creativity and relevance.  Go here to read the official contest rules.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about J.Jill's new uncomplicate. campaign.  Please remember to enter to win a $100 J.Jill gift card below.


Thank you to J.Jill for providing the images, information, and gift card for our contest prize and for giving me a gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this contest.  All opinions expressed are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

Febreze Delivered $10,000 plus Special Holiday Memories of Home This Christmas Eve

In early November, I had shared a Holiday contest with you hosted by Febreze on Facebook, where one lucky winner would receive $10,000 plus the opportunity to surprise a loved one who could not be home for Christmas with special Holiday memories from home.  Well on December 24th, Febreze delivered this amazing surprise to a dad who could not be home with his family.  You can watch the heartwarming video here and leave your thoughtful comments here.

I thought that Febreze did a great job choosing a winner.  There is nothing harder than having no other choice but to be away from one's family during the Holidays, especially for those with young children.  It certainly makes me feel especially lucky to have had my whole family together for Christmas this year.


I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Vote for Your Favorite Recipe in the Challenge Butter Recipe for Caring "Celebrity Chef Challenge"

Through January 15th, 2012, you are invited to vote for your favorite recipe in the Challenge Butter Recipe For Caring:  Holiday Celebrity Chef Challenge.  This challenge features a Holiday recipe from each of these famed chefs . . . Gale Gand, John Ashton, and Avery Pursell.  The winning chef will receive $5,000 to donate to his or her favorite charity, while the runner up will receive $2,500 to do the same.


What's in it for you?

When you vote for your favorite recipe, you will be entered into a random drawing for the $2,500 Grand Prize and the ten First Prizes, which are Good Cook Prize Packs (valued at $249.99 each).  See the official contest rules for more information.


A Contest for 3G2S readers . . . 

Enter to win the 5pc Good Cook Bakeware Set below plus coupons for Free Challenge Butter products!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

Thank you to Challenge Butter for providing a Good Cook Bakeware prize pack for my readers and for sending me a set as a thank you for participating in this campaign.  All opinions expressed are my own.

"Win Your Way" . . . a ShopYourWay Rewards Sweepstakes Destination for Sears & Kmart Shoppers (#WinYourWay)

I am someone who loves to shop!  Since I give away so many cool products on 3G2S, I also think it's pretty fantastic when I occasionally win something myself.  Well, I have been exploring the Win Your Way Sweepstakes portal that is available to ShopYourWay Rewards Bonus Members.  These sweepstakes ask you to complete a task to be entered into a drawing to win products, including but not limited to trips, jewelry, appliances, apparel, tools, and gadgets,  or ShopYourWay Rewards Points, which seem to range from 5,000 to 25,000 points.  You can then redeem your points for qualifying products at Sears, Kmart, Lands' End, and mygofer.com.

I have to say that I was extremely surprised at the number of active sweepstakes that were available in the Win Your Way portal.  Many of the sweepstakes ask you to shop around and mark a certain number of items with "Like" or "Want", or to share these items with your ShopYourWay followers.  The "Just Kid Around" sweepstakes below asked me to mark 5 items that my children would love to "play around in."  I found this entry to be super-easy and lots of fun since I enjoy browsing for children's fashions anyway.  The "Location, Location, Location" sweepstakes only asked me to follow my favorite Sears or Kmart store location for my entry to win 5,000 points.  I highly recommend that particular sweepstake if you are looking for one with a quick and easy entry.

(Click any image to enlarge)

Once you have entered a contest, it will show up in the "My Sweepstakes" tab, which you can visit to see all your complete or incomplete entries.  Both this tab and the main sweepstakes page also shows you how many entrants there are in each contest.

The ShopYourWay's sweepstakes portal is extremely user-friendly.  If you have questions, just click on the "FAQ" tab to bring up the window below.  This window contains frequently asked questions, including how to become a ShopYourWay Rewards Bonus Member for free.  Just click on each question to reveal a concise easy-to-understand answer.  You will receive an email confirmation for each sweepstakes you have successfully entered.  All winners will be notified via email and on the online newsfeed.

For every Win Your Way Sweepstakes entry, there is no purchase necessary. See this page for details.


This is a sponsored post with Brandfluential.com. I am a "Win Your Way" blogger, though all opinions are my own.

Lands' End "It's In The Bag" Summer Beach Essentials

Summertime is pool time for many people, so Lands’ End is offering the perfect pool companion with their It’s in the Bag package. Lands’ End has partnered with Random House and bestselling author Nancy Thayer to encourage women to rethink their beach bags. They are offering the It’s in the Bag package,  which includes a Lands’ End tote, beach towel, as well as a copy of Thayer’s new summer novel, Summer Breeze.

Summer Breeze follows the lives of three women who lead separate lives until meeting and becoming friends and they begin to lean on each other for support. This book is about friendship, romance, and the fabric of life and is a really great summer story that keeps you interested but is also an easy read.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

The rope handle tote from Lands’ End features a 100% canvas bag that has hefty rope handles, several inside pockets, 2 large outside pockets, and is fully lined for reinforcement. This tote is extremely well made and is perfect as a beach bag or any other type of bag. In fact, I have been using it as a diaper bag in between trips to the pool and it works perfectly. It is very large, sturdy, and the pockets make it the perfect tote to own. 

The Ikat Beach Towel is over 6 feet long and is made of 100% cotton, to make it extra absorbent. It is beautifully colored and patterned and large enough to cover all of you, whether you’re wrapped in it or laying on top of it.

Lands’ End and Random House are hosting the iVillage Summer Breeze Sweepstakes until July 8, where you can win several different prizes including a $500 Lands' End gift card, a Lands' End Tote Bag, Zoya Beach Living Nail Color, and Summer Breeze plus other novels from author Nancy Thayer.


Thank you to Lands' End for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Enter to #Win an Invitation to ET's Exclusive Emmy Gala Party

If you have always dreamed about rubbing elbows with celebrities, then you need to know that you have one more week to enter ET's Hanging With the Stars Sweepstakes!  The prize is an invitation for you and a guest to Entertainment Tonight's Exclusive Emmy Gala Party, which will take place this September.  Also covered will be round trip air fare plus hotel accommodations for two nights and transportation to and from the airport and the hotel.  The winner and guest will have the chance to walk the red carpet at the gala and will have VIP seating during the music performance.

The deadline to enter is May 24th, 2012 at 4:59pm PDT.  The estimated value for this prize is $2200!  There are also other weekly and daily prizes.  To be eligible, you need only fill out the short form pictured below.

So, who would be your guest at ET's Emmy Gala Party if you won this contest?

Go here to access the official contest rules.

Giveaway: Olive Garden's Culinary Tour of Italy Sweepstakes ($25 GC) [CLOSED]

Olive Garden has been one of my husband's and my favorite restaurants at which to dine for the past 15 years.  Even after we had children, we continued to eat at Olive Garden because it is such a family-oriented restaurant.  Even when we do not have time to sit down in the restaurant, we just call ahead and pick up our favorite pasta dishes to eat at home.  My personal favorite is the Grilled Shrimp Caprese!

Through May 9th, you can enter to be one of four grand prize winners who will win a trip for two to the Olive Garden Culinary Institute of Tuscany.  The trip will include an 8-day guided tour of romantic Italy, meeting the Olive Garden chefs at the Culinary Instutute of Tuscany, a tour of the Roca delle Macie winery, wine tasting, and more.  Also, Olive Garden will be giving away a $20 gift card to one person daily through the end of the contest.

Here are a few words from Stan Minniefield, who previously visited the Culinary Institute of Tuscany to learn about how to better create an authentic Italian dining experience . . .

To enter this sweepstakes, go here and login with your Facebook account or enter your email address by May 9th, 2011.

Thank you to Olive Garden for providing a gift card for our contest prize and for sending me a gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate in this campaign.



What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a $25 Olive Garden gift card.

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Leave a comment telling me who you would take with you if you won the Olive Garden Culinary Tour of Italy Sweepstakes. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1)  For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.


2)  For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3)  For 10 extra entries, enter the Culinary Tour of Italy Sweepstakes. Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did.

4)  For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5)  For 1 extra entry each, follow Olive Garden on Twitter and/or "Like" Olive Garden on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.


6)  Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7)  Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)  Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)  Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, May 9th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

The Smucker's Stars on Ice 25th Anniversary Tour Comes to Boston

On March 4th, the 2011 Smucker's Stars on Ice 25th Anniversary Tour came to Boston University's Agganis Arena.  Our entire family of five was able to attend.  None of us had ever had the opportunity to attend a live figure skating show, so we were all both curious and excited.  I knew I would love the show, since I enjoy watching televised figure skating, but I was interested to see what our children (4,4, and 7) would think about the show.

This year's 25th anniversary show is headlined by Evan Lysacek and Sasha Cohen.  Both were amazing, along with the rest of the talented cast who visited us in Boston . . .

Kyoko Ina

John Zimmerman

Kurt Browning

Ekaterina Gordeeva

Todd Eldredge

Tanith Belbin

Ben Agosto

Joannie Rochette

Michael Weiss

Scott Hamilton (Founder & Producer)

Left Photo by Michelle Harvath, Right Photo by Paul Harvath

Photo by Paul Harvath

I cannot say how impressed I was by all the performances, as well as the music and the lighting effects.  I was moved to near tears two or three times.  As much as I loved the beautifully expressive performances, the lively and upbeat numbers were so much fun.  The show was entertaining enough to keep our three children engaged for the entire two hours.  Our 4 year old daughter was extremely delighted by the "pretty costumes".  My husband said he enjoyed the group performances the most.  I have to say that the group finale in the red costumes was both energetic and powerful.  It was quite a way to end the show, wowing the audience and leaving them no choice but to give the cast a standing ovation.

Photo by Paul Harvath

I am so thankful for my family to have had the chance to see this show.  The best part was that the audience could feel that the skaters were having fun and truly enjoyed performing on the ice.  The Stars on Ice 25th Anniversary Tour will be continuing through the beginning of April.  Tickets start at just $25.  Visit Smuckers.com to find out about the Smucker's Family 4 Pack Discount.  Visit StarsOnIce.com to view the tour schedule.


Be Evan's VIP Guest Sweepstakes . . . 

From now through March 13, 2011, consumers can complete the online entry form at www.smuckers.com for a chance to be Evan Lysacek’s VIP guest at the Smucker’s Stars on Ice performance at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. on April 2, 2011. In addition to travel, accommodations and VIP tickets to the performance, the grand prize winner and a guest will also have dinner with the Olympic gold medalist and receive a backstage tour.

Also visit Smuckers.com for more information on Smucker's products, Smucker's Recipes, free recipe booklets, and more.

Thank you to Smucker's for providing us with complimentary tickets to the show to base this review upon.