CrazyDog T-shirt winner

The lucky winner of my CrazyDog T-shirt giveaway is #3 AmandaSue!  Congratulations!  I'll be e-mailing you shortly in order to get your contact information to send to CrazyDog T-shirts.  Thank you to everyone who entered.

Edited to add:  Because Amanda recently won another CrazyDog T-shirt giveaway, the new winner is #4 Karen!
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Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas!  It's a day late because I was at my grandparents' house yesterday, and they do not have Internet access.  It was nice to be "unplugged" for awhile, but I can't stay away from my e-mail or Facebook for too long :-).

I've been taking quite a few pictures of the beautiful winter scenery lately, and I will be adding some new pics to my photo blog: http://ashleymphotos.weebly.com/.  I'll also post a couple at the end of this post for your convenience.  I truly love a white Christmas, but at the same time I'm really looking forward to spring when I can start biking and running in comfort outside again :-).

Also, don't forget to enter my CrazyDog T-shirt Giveaway that ends tonight at midnight!  If you do miss it though, don't worry becuase I'll be hosting a couple more giveaways soon.

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Crazydogtshirts.com Review and Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to review a t-shirt from Crazydogtshirts.com.  They have such a fun collection that includes funny t-shirts, 80s t-shirts, as well as custom t-shirts!  It was hard picking a t-shirt from such a wide collection, but I ended up deciding on the Womens Dunder Mifflin t-shirt since I'm a big fan of The Office :-).  Here it is: 

It is a quality t-shirt and, like most of their shirts, it can be a conversation starter :-).  The shirts are also reasonably priced, especially if you take advantage of their $6.99 Daily T-shirt Special.  The only minor problem I had was that I thought the blue color was going to be lighter, as in the picture on the website here. 

Now one of you has a chance to win a CrazyDog t-shirt of your own!  Here are the specs:

Giveaway: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on December 26, 2010 (a post Christmas gift). The winner will be picked via random.org. and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning e-mail to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address in your posts!  Also, the winner cannot have won a shirt from CrazyDog or have been sent a shirt for promotional purposes in the last 90 days or own a blog of their own.

The winner will get to choose between receiving one of the following: Free Mystery Tee (you will need to specify your size in Mens) or a Free $15 Gift Card.

Mandatory Entry: Go to Crazydogtshirts.com and leave a comment with which t-shirt you'd most like to get.  Please leave your e-mail address with your comment.

Extra Entries (leave one comment for each): Become a fan of CrazyDog T-shirts on Facebook.

Post a comment on the Facebook page stating what your favorite tee is or asking a question about the shirts.

"Like" or "Share" one of the products on the website. The buttons for these are on all product detail pages, above the main image.


Best of luck!!

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FitDeck Exercise Playing Cards Review

Have you ever seen FitDeck exercise playing cards?  If not, I'm about to introduce you to them :-).  The following information comes from the website http://fitdeck.com/.

"FitDeck is a unique deck of 56 playing cards containing illustrations and instructions describing over 50 different exercises, stretches, and movements.  These ‘no-equipment’ FitDecks contain exercises that require only your bodyweight to perform. ‘FitDeck Bodyweight’ is our flagship product in this popular series of ‘no-equipment’ FitDecks."

I think FitDeck is a great option for people without a gym membership, those who want to work out at home, people who travel a lot and want to stay fit on the road, or people who simply want to change up the regular routine.  There is literally a FitDeck for anyone whether you want to exercise with or without equipment.

I was lucky enough to be sent a complimentary FitDeck Yoga and FitDeck Bodyweight to review.  Here they are:

10 of 10 for both!  I really am impressed with these two sets.  I like how both do not require equipment, for even though I do have some free weights, I like to switch up my exercise routines.  I'll also definitely be bringing these with me on trips - they are so convenient!  The number of cards is great too, for it truly allows you to create full workout.  The exercises are explained well, and I especially like how the yoga cards, for instance, are color coded according to whether they are standing, twisting, balance, etc. poses.

All in all, I think FitDecks are a very handy product and would make a great (and fairly economical) gift :-).

And I don't know about you, but the month of December is just flying by for me.  It's going to be the new year before I know it... and then a new semester!  At least this semester is almost done :-).

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Winner of the Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs Prize Pack Giveaway

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs Prize Pack Giveaway.  I must also thank General Mills for providing me with the information and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. 

And now... the moment you've been waiting for... the lucky number according to the random.org generator is... #6 Monet!  If you haven't checked out this lovely lady's blog, then you are missing out on some great recipes, pictures, and stories.  You can see her latest posts here!  I promise you'll love it :-).

As for me, I'm just trying to get all of my papers and projects finished before the end of the semester.  This is definitely one of the busiest times of the year for me.  I handle it by making sure I take a little time out each day to do something I truly enjoy, such as running, listening to music, or watching funny videos on YouTube.  For instance, just a couple of days ago, I came across this rendition of "White and Nerdy" created by some fellow UIUC students.  On a slightly more serious note, I came across this video of "Secrets" by One Republic also created by UIUC students.  I especially liked how I could recognize the backdrops to both videos. 

Have any of you ever searched for YouTube videos created locally?

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Ryders Eyewear Giveaway Winner!

And the lucky winner of my Ryders Eyewear Giveaway is.... #6 according to the fabulous random.org generator!  That means that meeyeehere will be sporting new VTX sunglasses soon :-).

Thank you so much to everyone else who entered the giveaway!  Don't worry if you didn't win, there will be more giveaways in the near future :-).

By the way, did any of you brave the crowds and go shopping on Black Friday?  I've done it before, but I was actually able to skip the madness this year and get some awesome deals online instead, such as this external hard drive from Walmart to backup all of my digital photos, music, and other files.

I'd love to write more now, but I've only got 2 weeks left in the semester and it's crunch time!  Thanksgiving break was nice, but I'm looking forward to my winter break even more. 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I'm going to take this time to state the 10 things I am most grateful for in my life:

1. God - He's there for me even when I'm not aware
2. Family and friends - the people I can turn to in joy or sadness
3. Health - the ability to run and be active without much pain
4. University of Illinois - an excellent school
5. Champaign-Urbana - a fabulous place to live
6. Technology - iPod, laptop, digital camera... I couldn't live without them
7. Healthy and delicious food - to nourish my body
8. Books - the knowledge and stories they contain is priceless
9. Music - it can bring me to my feet in dance or simply soothe my soul
10. Internet - Facebook, Blogger, Skype, YouTube... these are some of my favorite things :-)

What are you most thankful for?

I'm also thankful that I can host giveaways and bring a little joy to others' lives :-).  I have two giveaways going on right now here and here!

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Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs Prize Pack Giveaway

My participation in MyBlogSpark certainly has its perks :-).  I was recently sent a package that contained a package of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs and Michael Chiarello's Bottega cookbook!  I haven't used the bread crumbs yet, but this is the recipe I'm looking forward to using them with.  I wanted to get this giveaway posted sooner rather than later, so you'll just have to wait to see how my recipe turns out and if I actually follow the recipe 'as is'. 

Here is what is included in the prize pack:

Chef Michael Chiarello is "known for his emphasis on creating delicious dishes with fresh, premium ingredients,  uses panko as his go-to bread crumb for a crunch that won’t quit. An Emmy-award winning TV chef and cookbook author, Chef Chiarello is the tastemaker behind Bottega Napa Valley Restaurant, NapaStyle and Chiarello Family Vineyards, and appears on The Cooking Channel and Top Chef Masters only on Bravo." (MyBlogSpark)

Giveaway: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end on December 1, 2010. The winner will be picked via random.org. and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address in your posts!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment and let me know how you would use the Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs. Please include your e-mail address with your entry so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries (leave 1 comment for each): Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post.

Become a follower of my blog.

Best of luck to you all!

*General Mills provided me with the information and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

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Ryders Eyewear Giveaway!

I told you this was coming :-).  I reviewed a pair of red VTX sunglasses from Ryders Eyewear earlier this week here, and now one of you is going to have a chance to win a red pair for yourself!

Giveaway: Ryders Eyewear is going to provide one of my readers with a red pair of VTX sunglasses. This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents and will end on November 27, 2010. The winner will be picked via random.org. and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address in your posts!

Mandatory Entry: Submit a photo (by e-mailing me at got2run06 at yahoo.com of your current sunglasses that need to be replaced because they're beat-up, ugly, etc. OR visit the Ryders Eyewear site and mention another model you are interested in.  Please include your e-mail address with your entry so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries (leave 1 comment for each): Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post.

Become a follower of my blog.

Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway by saying, "In need of a new pair of sunglasses? Ryders eyewear giveaway by @cygirl88 here: http://tinyurl.com/28k3u68"

Best of luck to you all!  I look forward to your entries, especially if you send me some pictures :-).


P.S. I've added some more photos to my photo blog here: http://ashleymphotos.weebly.com/photos.html

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Ryders Eyewear review

A new week and a new review for you :-).  This time I was sent a complimentary pair of sunglasses from Ryders eyewear.  They offer a great selection of sunglasses and even some goggles.  Here is the pair I was sent:

VTX sunglasses: 10 of 10!  These glasses are stylish, very comfortable, and they wrap around my eyes so as to eliminate any glare from the sun at my side.  The case is very sturdy, and the interchangeable lens mean that this can be my go-to pair of sunglasses for just about anything, but especially exercise such as running and biking where you really need some quality glasses that won't slip.

Guess what?!  One lucky reader will be winning a red pair of the VTX sunglasses like I received... but you'll have to stay tuned for the giveaway details :-).

I don't know about you all, but Illinois has been having some very unseasonably warm weather.  It was sunny and in the 70s today!  I went on a 1.5 hr. bike ride (with my VTX sunglasses of course) and thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Have a great week everyone!

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