Weekend Links and The Winner Is...

Drumroll, please. The winner of the Thirty-One Gifts organizing utility tote is:

Which means that MacKenzie is the winner!

(Side note: That's amazing. I don't think I've ever seen #1 come up on these things.)

Congratulations! Please send an email to candiddiversions @ yahoo . com or you could message me on FB to confirm your address. I'll get it in the mail ASAP.

(For everyone else: remember that you can still score a great deal on the Thirty-One gifts products of your choice. You have until Monday, May 20th to make those orders. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this giveaway. I wish I had a tote bag for each and every one of you!)

And now, on to the links:

1. I enjoyed this review of A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz, a book I finished a few months ago. I think this review is better than my own.

2. Assuming we ever move (things have been kind of discouraging on that front lately), I'll probably need to keep this post in mind: 7 Tips to Stay Motivated for House Projects.

3. Top 10 Military Schools in America. I had no idea there are more than ten. (Plus, due to my research into the Second World War, anything about Annapolis catches my eye.)

4. Why Poor Grammar and Spelling are Bad for Your Blog. And bad for my health, ahem. I'm convinced that seeing "your" when the author means "you're" shaves years off my life.

5. Know much about Ketchup? Now you do: Ketchup's Unsavory Secret History.

6. Encouraging thoughts for women: My Beauty-Full Post.

7. We have a Mulberry Tree in our yard. The berries are ripening now and the girls picked a bunch the other day. Then I spent an hour cutting off the little tiny stems that Philip insisted must be cut off. If only I had read this first: Collecting, Preserving, Using, Planting, and Growing Mulberries. (P.S. We made Mulberry cobbler with ours. Yum!)

8. I'm pretty sure some of you are going to want to watch this: PBS Plans Follow-Up to Downton Abbey. I've already seen the first four episodes and I can tell you it's a great show and, though it pains me to say so, in some ways it is quite a bit better than DA.

9. This year is Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Which means you probably want to read about her amazing life. Need a book recommendation? Try this Top 10 Royal Books List.

10. This one will make your heart grow three sizes: The Value of a Life.

Bonus: Don't miss this post by my dad: Top 10 Myths About Bullies. (Side note: the formatting on my dad's blog is a little wonky so that post is easier to read in the Reader of your choice. Hint, hint.)

Pin of the week:
I loved this girls' room:

Source: moderncountrystyle.blogspot.com via Karen (Candid Diversions) on Pinterest

Several of the houses we've looked at had finished or finish-able attics.This type of room would be perfect for that type of space.

That's it for this week. Thanks again to Ginelle for making the giveaway possible and to all of you who entered, followed, & shared. It was so exciting to see Candid Diversions grow a little bit.

This post is linked to the following party:

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Winner

First of all let me give some people special recognition:

• my dad - for tweeting about this and also
• Mike Kelly - for tweeting about this after my dad told asked him to
• Morgan for mentioning it on her blog and
• Amy for mentioning it on her blog and 
• Jodi for mentioning it on FB

As I mentioned in the original post, this was my first ever sponsored giveaway. I'd really like to thank MyMemories for giving me their amazing software and especially for the chance to give one of you this great product. I really wish I could each of you a copy but, alas, that's not how it works.

All that said, here's the winner of this contest:

 Which means Jodi, with the second comment on the contest, is the Winner!

I'll send you an email with the code you need for your free software. (If you don't see this in your email, please contact me @ candiddiversions @ yahoo . com - just remove spaces.)

Remember, even if you didn't win, you can still buy the software at a discount. Just use my promo code: STMMMS66176 to get $10 off. And once you buy the software there's another $10 coupon code for MORE MyMemories products.

Thanks again to everyone who entered or spread the word. I may not have the most readers of any blog but I know I have the BEST readers (and friends).

Cyber Monday - Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway

I occasionally get requests to do sponsored giveaways. I've always said no - until now. Why did I agree to this one?

Simply put, the product interested me: digital scrapbooking software. I've loved scrapbooking since I was a teenager but this was my first try at the digital type.

My Memories offered to let me try their software and (here's the part where you come in) give away another copy of the software to one of my readers. Hooray! They're also giving my readers a $10 off coupon code. (I love a good coupon code...)

Now, I haven't had as much time as I would like lately for traditional scrapbooking but this digital stuff is easy to do. You can sit down and make a page in as little or as much time as you have. You can save your progress. You can walk away from it and make supper - without having to clear all your supplies off the kitchen table. (Not that I've had to do that often or anything. Ahem.)

I've been enjoying the Holiday Simplicity album. The color scheme (reds, blacks, and greys) just goes perfectly with our 2010 Christmas pictures. 

Will this replace my love for traditional scrapbooking? No.
Is this a fun and easy new way to scratch that crafty itch? Yes.

(Want to know a secret? Philip even gave this a try. And he liked it. His page is amazing but I don't think I'm allowed to show you. Maybe someday.)

This is not exclusively photo editing software, but it does have some editing capabilities.
You do not have to have the software from MyMemories to use their scrapbooking kits. I suggest turning your willpower on High because some of those kits are seriously cute.

You can find the My Memories YouTube channel here, if you need some help getting started. I can tell you from my experience with MyMemories that they're great to work with.

So, how about the giveaway? Here's what you need to do:

• 1. Mandatory first entry: visit MyMemories and window shop all their amazing products. Leave a comment here and tell me your favorite paper pack or layout.

You can get extra entries these ways (leave a comment for each extra entry):

• 2. Follow the MyMemories Blog 
• 3. Become a Fan of MyMemories on Facebook 
• 4. Follow MyMemories on Twitter

This giveaway will run until Sunday night (12/4) and the winner (chosen randomly) will be announced next Monday (12/5). This is my first "real" giveaway so thanks in advance for bearing with me. I've been excited about the chance to share this with you and I hope you'll forgive this diversion from our Usual Blogging Business.

Disclosures: I was given a copy of this software free to try. I will earn a commission on any sales made using my unique coupon code (found in my sidebar).

Drumroll Please...

I wrote out slips of paper for all you lovely folks who entered (one, two, or three a piece, according to the rules), dropped those slips of paper into this lovely purple bag, and had my three girls each pull out a name. Polly drew: Donna from Living on the Creek

Tigger drew: Kelly from For the Love of Letters

Sweet Pea drew: Amy from Buffaloes and Butterfly Wings

Prince Charming was the impartial judge and photographer, making sure there were no shenanigans or vote rigging.

The first lot described (Little House book, soap paint, etc.) is Kelly's by request and will be delivered in person. Amy and Donna, please send me an email at candiddiversions[at]yahoo.com with your contact info so I can get your prizes to you.

Now I'm on the lookout for anything else I can give away...

500 Posts And 3 Medications

Dear Blog Friends,

Well, here it is: My 500th post! My little blog is growing up.

To celebrate I was going to draw the winners for my giveaway but instead of that (fun) activity it looks like I'll be lazing around and taking three kinds of medication (two prescription - including my very first inhaler, one OTC) for a nasty case of bronchitis (looks like it wasn't allergies after all).

I have to get my rest, you understand, because tomorrow is the long anticipated library book sale bag day, which I never miss. And, any day now, my nephew (whom I will be naming "Fennec" for the purposes of this blog - inside joke- never mind) will make his almost equally long anticipated appearance. Hospitals tend to frown on visitors who are hacking, sneezing, coughing, and struggling to breathe in the maternity ward (go figure) so I have to concentrate on getting better quickly.

So I'll catch everyone later and announce the three winners later and well, later,
Karen

My Very First Giveaway

For the momentous occasion of my Very First Blog Giveaway, I couldn't decide what to give. I thought a few of my favorite books might be appropriate, but then my stack grew and I decided to spread the wealth around. Here's what I came up with:

Childhood Favorites:
Little House in the Big Woods, A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury, two Avon soap paints, and a pack of striped tissues, you know, just because.

The second set on offer is a little more grown-up:
This features the first book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith which I am always talking about, a little Ghirardelli chocolate, and a pack of tissues (why? Just because).

The final set is my personal favorite:
A brand new paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice (everyone needs at least one of these), my favorite type of Ghirardelli chocolate, and a small lined notebook, perfect for starting your first Commonplace Book.

Now for the rules (warning: I am a firstborn. I love rules.):

1. This giveaway is only available for residents of the lower-48. I'm paying shipping and I can't be spending the money I'm supposed to use to be using to get our tree trimmed (more on that later...).
2. You get one entry for leaving a comment - specify which prize you prefer, if you wish.
3. If you follow this blog, you can leave another comment and say so.
4. If you post about this on your blog, come back and leave another comment for another entry.
5. Winners will be done by random drawing (three prizes, three little girls to draw names from the hat = perfect).
6. This is open for the next week starting today and ending at midnight (Eastern time) on Wednesday, June 3.
7. If you win but I can't get in contact with you within a day or so, we'll draw again for a new winner.

And my favorite and final rule: if no one enters, I get to keep all this loot for myself.