Guest Posting at Lemon and Raspberry

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey friends,

I wanted to share with you that I had the chance to do a guest post yesterday on Lemon and Raspberry’s New Year’s Day Blog Party!  What a fun way to start 2013 and so much available in one day.

Amy always provides lots of information and motivation for all kinds of business and personal projects throughout the year and this is the way she kicks it off.

You’ll find tips and inspiration about Memory Keeping, Blogging, Photography, Travel, Marketing and just general creativity and productivity.  She also provides creative prompts for journaling the details of your life.

My post is called Memory Keeping with a Purpose. If you have a few minutes stop by and say hi to Amy, check it out and tell her that I sent you. She’s running a free mini online workshop and several giveaways as part of the New Year’s Blog Party, so sign up to participate or for a chance to win one of the prizes.

 

New Project Life eBook

For those of you who are scrappers I thought I’d pass along this info about a new eBook that my daughter, Amy contributed to.  It’s all about ideas for a scrapbooking/memory keeping system called Project Life.

Here’s a link to more info about Project Life.

And here’s a link to the new eBook that was just released.  It’s called Project Dig Deep. Amy’s offering a discount, as well as a drawing for a free copy of the eBook.  But hurry, it won’t last long.

She’s the one in the top left corner.  So proud of her!

Do you enjoy memory keeping or scrapbooking?  If so, you might enjoy Amy’s blog, LemonandRaspberry.com.

What’s your favorite memory keeping method?

 

 

Tourist of Life Treasure Box Drawing Winner!

So I asked my co-worker to draw the winner for the Tourist of Life Treasure Box and the winner is…

LINDA THOMPSON at Reminisce and This and That!

Thank you to all who commented and especially to those of you who visit often and contribute regularly to the conversation.

You are a gift to me!

Linda, I’ll be in touch on how to get the treasures to you.

Stay tuned for future drawings.  Hint:  I might be getting more coupons for free bacon soon!

Have an amazing day!

New Blog Name and Giveaway!

Hey friends,

I’m excited to announce that I have a new URL for my blog and it’s so easy to remember.

TouristOfLife.me

Fun huh?  Add this to your bookmarks or blog reader so you can come back anytime!  If you have the old URL bookmarked it should redirect to the new one too.

Plus, in celebration of my new URL and Blog name, I’m giving away a”Tourist of Life” treasure box!  Just a few things that you’ll need to be a Tourist of Life.

• 2 boxes of sparklers – what’s a celebration without sparklers?

• 1 mini suitcase filled with chocolates – So easy to fit in your carry-on and who doesn’t crave chocolate on a long trip?

• 1 spiral bound lined journal (8  1/2 “x 5 1/4”)- Isn’t this one a beauty inside and out! Spiral bound books are so easy to write in and great for documenting the details of your next trip.

• And 3 cardstock luggage tags with travel themed graphics (there’s one on the top of the journal too).  Add your contact information to the back, then get them laminated at your local print shop.

Maybe you’d like these for yourself or maybe you’d like to use them to fill a special someone’s Easter or Mother’s Day basket. I’ll be drawing the winner next Tuesday night, March 27th, from everyone who comments below.  So…be sure to answer these two questions for a chance to win.

1.  What is your most favorite place to visit and why?

2. Which of these countries (my most recent trips) would you like to learn about first? I just can’t decide where to start.

• Scotland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Jordan
• Bosnia

Just for fun, this is me having lunch at Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness in Scotland. It was taken by my daughter, Amy.  Until I get around to posting it, you can find out more about our Scotland trip at her blog ThoseCrazySchuberts.com.

You can also find lots of tips and ideas for creative small businesses at Amy’s other site – LemonandRaspberry.com.

I promise I’ll start posting about my trips, so be sure to come back and see them.  They were all so interesting…  And don’t forget to come back on Tuesday or Wednesday to see who wins the treasure box!

Where have you traveled to lately?  You don’t need to leave the country to enjoy a fun adventure.

And the Bacon Winner is…

Thank you all for submitting recipes for the Bacon Contest.  The judge has reviewed the recipes and has determined that the most delicious sounding recipe is…

Green Beans with Bacon, Onion and Brown Sugar!

Congratulations to Cheryl Lohrke!

Please send your mailing address to my email at HannFamily[at]cox[dot]net and I will mail your coupon for a free pound of Oscar Mayer bacon.

If you’re at a loss for how to use it, check out the Oscar Mayer website to find a bunch more bacon recipes.

Thanks again for participating.

Enjoy your treat!

Last chance to win a pound of bacon!

Hey friends,

This is last call for the Oscar Mayer Bacon Contest and the odds of winning are excellent!  I will be away from my computer until about 6pm (MT), so I’m leaving the contest open until then.

Just to get your creative juices flowing, I thought I’d share a Dutch Oven recipe that I found in my November issue of Taste of Home magazine.  (FYI, This recipe and others can also be found online, but you need to “register” by setting up a login.  There’s no cost to join.)

Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda

Take a look at the first ingredient!  Ah yes, bacon!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda

• 4 bacon strips, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (29 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• Additional shredded Gouda cheese, optional

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute onion in drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
• Stir in the broth, pumpkin, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cool slightly.
• In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to pan. Stir in cream; heat through. Add cheese; stir until melted. Sprinkle each serving with parsley, bacon and additional cheese if desired. Yield: 9 servings (2-1/4 quarts).

Can’t you just taste that warm bacony, cheesy goodness?

I also wanted to clarify how we’ll choose a winner.  Since I can see the names of the people that submitted and I don’t want to show preferential treatment, I’m going to show just the recipes to my husband and have him choose a winner based on which one sounds the most delicious to him.  Good news is he LOVES bacon, so they’ll all be in the running.

And here’s a little clarification on the fine print.  I now have the coupons in my hot little hand and this is what they say:

FREE – One package of any OSCAR MAYER Bacon (up to $9.00).  Expiration 3/31/2012  

The images show Center Cut Bacon, Fully Cooked Bacon and Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon just to name a few.

Thanks for joining in the fun!  Keep your eyes open for more contests in the future.