HUGE August Group Giveaway

WOW! Have I got a giveaway for all my lovely readers! My sponsors were SERIOUSLY, majorly generous this month. I am soooo jealous that I can't enter :(

You know how I do it... 16 Prizes AND 1 Winner. Go Big or Go Home, right?! 

Enter through rafflecopter below, it will close in one week! Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Little Blog...

It's just amazing to me how much this little blog has grown. It just started as a little space to maybe write a few things down and it has just exploded into this "full time" job hobby. Every day, week and month I continue to have more and more fun with it. It has become a place to not only write down my thoughts but to also have fun with networking and giveaways and swaps and so on and so on. 

Just for fun I thought I would throw up some old school headers!

This was my first header-

Then it went to this-

Then to this-

And then of course to the one I have now which I have stuck too because I actually still like it which is rare for me because I usually like change.

I am generally a quiet person... but one would never know that from just reading my blog. I like how it creates a place where I can just jump past the shyness and jump right into the outgoing me. I LOVE it!! 

I never thought that every time I sat down for dinner or went to a family get together that I would spend half my time explaining what a link up, giveaway, blog hop, guest post, sidebar ad is... haha. I never thought that I would stay up late responding to emails or that my phone would go off constantly or that I would sit down and laugh at all the funny and witty comments my reader leave me or that I would bring my "dslr" every where and take pictures of the most random of things or that I would have a virtual assistant... HA, I am still in disbelief about that last one. I just never knew of this "blog world". I didn't even know it existed. BUT I am sure glad I found it because it has definitely brought a lot of FUN to my life.

Before I end the post I wanted to share with you a special deal on my ads:

YES! BOGO on ALL my ads! For a limited time you can buy your ad and then send me an email here saying you want the BOGO deal and I will extend your ad for a free 30 days!! Click here to find out more info about my ads.

Post Sponsor for July:

GFC Blog Hop

It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!

When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 

One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

If you are interested in co-hosting the next GFC Blog Hop send me an email at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host via GFC

The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC

The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 

and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/search/label/gfcbloghop"> <img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z237/melissaenault/gfcbloghop-1.gif" border="0" /></a>

Post Sponsor for July:

Jewelry Swap Link Up!

IT'S TIME TO SEE WHAT YOU ALL GOT!! I have been waiting the past month to see what you all got in the Jewelry Swap! Link up below, so I can be jealous!! 

If you are part of the swap and have not received your jewelry yet, don't worry, the link up will stay open for the next week or so. Just come back and link up when you get it!!

There have been a lot of swaps in the blogging world lately: coffee mugs, jewelry, crafts, kitchen gadgets, and so on and so on. What has been one that you have participated in recently? And was it a good experience? Would you do it again?

Oh... did I mention I am going on the Disney Cruise soon? haha yay!

Post Sponsor for July:

Sponsor Spotlight 2

Time for some more Sponsor Love! These ladies are all amazing and they pour their hearts out into their blogs, so go take a look :)

Post Sponsor for July:

Friday's Letters

Dear Niece, You are rockin' those sun glasses. Dear Disney Cruise, 24 days and counting! Dear Friends, I am planning an entire week of Disney themed guest posting the week I am gone- September 16th-22nd! SO MUCH FUN! Dear Husband, Going through bin after bin of papers to try and find your birth certificate was no fun. AND we didn't even find it... eh... Dear Blogs or Shops, Use the promo code FRIEND and get 10% off of any advertisement found here. Dear Starbucks, Can you not be so addicting? As soon as my husband got home from work I grabbed the keys while I was still in my pajamas (ha, it was my day off, don't judge) and took off to visit you and get your carmel frap that I was craving all day. True Story. Dear House, Why is it that no matter how much I try and keep you clean as long as I can, it never lasts more than a day?! Dear Taylor Swift, You new song "We are never ever getting back together" is SO catchy, but I feel a little silly singing it. Dear Facebook, Why do people use you to post stupid status' about drama in their life. Can you tell them to GET A BLOG ALREADY!!! Dear person who drives the speed limit in the fast lane, You obviously don't know the rules- When I tailgate you, it means MOVE OVER. Dear Self, I feel like I am letting off some steam tonight LOL. Dear Readers, I seriously LOVE reading your comments, emails, tweets, and so on. DON'T EVER STOP :) Dear Self- again, Lay off the CAPS ;)

Post Sponsor for July:

Amy from The Charming Blog

I am so excited to introduce you to Amy from The Charming Blog! Her blog is adorable and she has been having amazing recaps of her wedding which was GORGEOUS! You have to go check it out for sure!!

 

____________________________________________________________

How did you start blogging?

I started blogging just like many others, to chronicle life.  I love art, cooking, and inspiration and wanted to include them in my blog.  Then, when I started nursing school, wellness and public health became an important part of my blog and you will occasionally find wellness posts on my blog.  As far as how I started blogging, I had a blogger blog from high school that I just started using again.  I had only one post from high school anyways!

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

My first blog name was "Oh, So Charming."  I wanted something with a few words and I liked the meaning of "charming" so I wanted to talk about the beauty and charm in this world.  When I bought my domain name, I wanted to shorten it up to something even catchier.

What is your favorite sweet treat?

Oh, my. Ice cream.  LOVE it.  It became a problem because I turned my husband on to Coldstone and he would want to go as a weekly treat.  It contributed to weight gain and I discovered frozen yogurt.  I don't think I'll go back!  It just feels lighter.  Plus, Yogli Mogli has Cake Batter flavor!

What is one thing that drives you in life?

My husband.  He constantly pushes me in the right direction.  I know I should say my faith, but really, it's my husband that does the pushing when my mind (and thus faith) doesn't seem to get the job done.

If you had the chance to meet any celebrity who would you choose?

Liam Neeson.  Wait... yes, definitely Liam.  Love him.  Epitome of a man right there.  Oh, and the accent is just the cherry on top.  But, I'd just want to be friends, of course ;-)

Visit The Charming Blog!


Post Sponsor for July:

Tookies Giveaway

Today I have TOOKIES bringing you an amazing giveaway! They have sent me some samples and WOW, they are AMAZING! You should definitely try some ;) Enter Rafflecopter below to try and win a 1/2 dozen Gourmet Marshmellows.

A little about our Tookies Family. 

We are a small family owned business in arkansas.  we are all immediate family members. every one of us have creative genes...guess it just runs in the family") we run on the fuel of God, love, prayer and LAUGHTER! we are a practical joking family, none of us can live without humor and being the next big/best practical joker. we have a big family, including 3 amazing boxers! we are also a full military family and we love our troops. being patriotic and supporting our military is one of the most important things to us.

Why did we decide to open tookies and when?

We started as a hobby in 2010 and it blossomed into a full time love for our entire family :) 

Why the name Tookies?

When our son was little, he couldn't say 'cookie' so he said 'tookie' and this is what we have all always called cookies :) 

How many jar cakes do we make each week?

On average without wedding and celebration orders we do approximately 100-150 jar cakes a week just for daily orders. if we have a wedding order or special celebration custom order it could add anywhere from 50 - to 200 more jar cakes that week!

What is our favorite item to bake for the shop?

We love love making our marshmallows!! they have been such an amazing new creation with so many possibilities! then again our cookiewiches and jar cakes are so fun to create too! 

Is there an item that seems to be the most popular?

This would have to be our SMORES bar jars!! they are AMAZING!! 

A little trivia re: our Support Our Troops jar cakes!

We started creating these jar cakes because we are a longtime true and patriotic military family 20 years strong! we have SO much support for our troops! we actually have a great deal of support for any military order. we ship to apos/fpos, and for every military order we give 100% free shipping, and whatever is ordered we will add two of these jar cakes for free, plus many more extras! you can read here on our profile for more info - www.etsy.com/people/tookies?ref=si_pr

What are three tools in our workspace that we could not live without?

Only three?!! ") well we would have to say, SUGAR...butter and definately love. without these three we just wouldn't be tookies. 

You could win:

A 1/2 dozen Gourmet Marshmellows.

a Rafflecopter giveaway