Still Winners

The newest thing in wedding cake!

Last week, I asked my readers to go vote for my dear friends The Royers as their cafe was nominated for a big honor.

Thank you to all who voted and tweeted to help the cause.  Royers Round Top Cafe did not win the ultimate title of People’s Platelist.  That was most disappointing to me.

Royers caters weddings. This is a lip-smacking menu.

But, they are winners in my book and in my heart.  Entrepreneurial, generous, kind, loyal, bakers of the pies I love and crave.  You are WINNERS in my eyes, Royers.  (Big J, Little J & I got to sell pies in front of the cafe last Sunday, and I’m selling again this Saturday.   It’s crazy time in Round Top, otherwise known as Antique Week. I would never sneak a bite….)

Welcome to Royers Round Top Cafe

I offered to send a reader who helped with the voting a pie, and the winner is:

abitnerdy

If you did not win a pie, I’m sorry.  I wish I could ship a pie to everyone who commented.  But YOU can order a pie and have it shipped to yourself or someone you think needs a pie *and who doesn’t*.

All photos and writing property of LoneStarLifer. 2010.

Royers did not ask to do the pie giveaway and did not provide the pie that is being shipped to the winner.  I am paying for it with my very own money.

Winner of “What We Have” Giveaway.

Thanks to those of you who were nice enough to read my review and enter the book giveaway.  I wish I had a book to give each of you as I think you would enjoy it.  Buy your copy or check the library, but do put this on your reading list.

The winner is:

Donna Albert

I’ll be in touch on how to get your book to you.  Thanks, again, to all who entered.  Check back with LoneStarLifer as I will be having more reviews and giveaways.

All photos & writing is property of LoneStarLifer. 2010.

A New Snail Mail Notes Giveaway.

One thing (of many) that is great about blogging, facebooking, twittering, blahblahblahing is virtually and physically meeting women (and a few guys) who have similar interests.  Everyone I’ve come across as I am teaching myself HTML code, social media, blog writing, better photography skills have been helpful, funny, creative and non-competitive.  The internet is seriously being shifted and improved by women who want to be creative, be good moms, be resourceful and careful with money, be connected with other women who want the same things.

Several bloggers have said they would be happy to host a giveaway of my Snail Mail Notes.  FreeSampleMomma gave two sets of notecards last week.  This week All in an Iowa Mom’s Day is giving away your choice of $10.00 worth of Notes.  That’s alot of Notes with prices running $0.25 – $1.00.  The winner will be drawn on  March 15, so you have plenty of time to throw your name in the hat for the prize.  There are several chances to enter your name like leaving comments on Mom’s Day blog, tweet about the giveaway, follow Mom’s Day or Snail Mail on Twitter, etc.  Go HERE to see how to enter.  And go HERE to see the different cards you can choose when you win.  Go give Iowa Mom some comment love and let her know you are interested in Snail Mail Notes.

Thanks to Sara at All in an Iowa Mom’s Day for working with me to promote Snail Mail Notes.

All writing and photos property of LoneStarLifer. 2010.

Snail Mail Notes Giveaway.

I came across a nice blogger named FreeSampleMomma.  She hosts all sorts of giveaways and usually has several opportunities for you to enter her giveaways.  GO TO HER SITE TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY.

SampleMomma is hosting a Snail Mail Notes giveaway!  I sent her some of my cards, she liked them, and we worked out a giveaway.  She is giving two sets of cards, your choice.  Each set is worth $5.00.  That dollar amount may seem rather skimpy or cheap, but when you consider my designs run $0.25 to $1.00, you can get quite a bit of product for $5.oo.  I also am paying shipping and handling charges to get the cards to the winners, so you can’t beat that.

Here are FreeSampleMomma’s entry opportunities: BE SURE TO GO TO FREE SAMPLE MOMMA’S SITE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY.

TO ENTER (Mandatory):  Leave a comment telling me which Snail Mail Notes card is your favorite.

EXTRA ENTRIES – For each extra entry, please leave a separate comment with information you performed the task.

1. Follow Snail Mail Notes (Creator Paula) onTwitter

2. Become a fan of Free Sample Momma on Facebook

3. Follow Free Sample Momma on Twitter

4. Tweet about this giveaway – leave a link to your tweet

5. Share this contest on Facebook – leave a link to your post

• Giveaway will end on March 6th at 8 pm est.
• Giveaway is open to the United States Only
• 2 winners will be chosen using Random.org

The winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!

All photos and writing property of LoneStarLifer. 2010.

Philips Digital Photoframe + Regifting

One of the fun aspects of blogging is getting to meet other bloggers, both physically and virtually.  One blogger who makes me laugh and is very friendly (and loves Dr. Pepper) is ScrewedUpTexan.  Well, you gotta’ love her just because she’s from Texas and drinks Dr. Pepper, but I’m becoming a fan of her writing and humor.

Texan recently wrote a post about regifting and is actually hosting a giveaway of a regift.  But a good regift.  She is giving a Philips Home Essentials 7 Inch Digital Photoframe.  Don’t worry, she’s not giving it away because it’s old and worn out or broken. It’s new and still in the original box.  She already has a digital photoframe, so she wanted to share with the blogosphere.

Philips Home Essentials 7 Inch Digital Photo Frame

• 7 inch LCD Panel
• Store up to 1000 photos
• Brown designer frame; made of real wood
• Ready to use: 12 World Heritage Traveler photos included
• Clock and Calendar
• Minimum System Requirement: Windows XP, Vista, Mac OSX 10.4, 10.5

You can throw your name in the hat for a chance to win the photoframe.  These are ScrewedUpTexan’s requirements to enter.  Don’t leave comments on my blog. You MUST go to ScrewedUpTexan’s blog to enter:

1.) Confess! I want to know if you have ever regifted a present. You don’t have to tell me what it was, but the more juicy the details, the better reading for me. Confess by leaving a comment on ScrewedUpTexan’s regifting blog post.  You MUST answer this question in order to be eligible to win even if your answer is no that you’re not a cheapwad like us.

For extra entries (completely optional) do one or more of the following and leave a SEPARATE comment for each telling me what you did:

2.) Press that little “Follow” button over on my Google Friend Connect box in the sidebar. Leave a separate comment with your name and the word “follow”. If you already follow me through Google Friend Connect, just type follow. Example: ScrewedUpTexan Follow

3.) Tweet about this give away making sure to put @screweduptexan in the tweet so I can find your tweet! Be sure to follow me on Twitter while you’re over there. Example tweet: “RT @screweduptexan Give Away! Philips Digital Photoframe http://is.gd/8A6Kg #giveaway” Leave me a separate comment letting me know you tweeted. Example: Screweduptexan Tweeted

4.) Fan me on Facebook! Go to the Screwed Up Texan Fan Page and become a fan of this blog. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me you are now my fan (aw shucks!). Example: Screweduptexan “FAN”

5.) Blog about this give away with a direct link to the give away! Leave a separate comment telling me you did so with a link to the blog post. Example: Screweduptexan BLOGGED here http://www.screweduptexan.com / give-away

Give Away ends February 23, 2010 at 9 PM CDT. United States shipping addresses only since I am paying this one out of pocket. Winner chosen by random.org out of total number of eligible entries.

Go on over and say howdy to ScrewedUp Texan, and tell her I sent ya’.  Good Luck!

All writing and photos property of LoneStarLifer. 2010.

I Love Me Some Whataburger.

I LOVE hamburgers. Always have. When I was young and on a trip with my folks, I was sometimes allowed to have what I wanted for breakfast.  Ham. Burger. When I moved from home and was on my own, I once ate hamburgers for two weeks straight. Just cause I could. One of my first real jobs was at McDonald’s. I was taking college summer school classes, so I worked at night until closing. My McDonald’s was a test site for the ice cream. Our claim to fame: 5% more butterfat in our ice cream than Dairy Queen. Those were the days!  Each night, my job was to clean the ice cream out of the line, then clean the machine.  I ate most of the ice cream that came out of the line….put some in a large cup, then layered hot caramel, filled the rest of the cup and topped with hot fudge.  Didn’t gain an ounce.  Those REALLY were the days!

Anyway, when I get to choose from where our hamburgers come, my choice is always Whataburger. They have just the right mixture of condiments and toppings so that the burger is juicy but not TOO messy, the hamburger patty is the right thickness (for me) and the finished product is a fest for my eyes and tummy. And when they run the A-1 cheddar burger promotion, get out of my way. I have friends who grew up in Texas, but sadly do not reside in the Lone Star State these days.  When they cross the Texas border for a visit, Whataburger is first on their list.

Well, Whataburger is having two giveaways in the near future.  The first giveaway is Tuesday, November 10th.  Here’s their description of what’s going on:

11/10/09 – Orange Night Out
It never ceases to amaze us how many dedicated fans there are of Whataburger. Well, here’s a great chance for you to prove yourself as part of that crowd. On Tuesday, November 10th from 5-8 pm, we invite you to get decked out in orange from head to toe for an Orange Night Out. So dress up, dine in, show us how much orange spirit you have and get a Free Whataburger®.

I wonder how I’m going to get Big J in an orange jumpsuit……

Second giveaway is called The 12 Days of Whataburger.  Hmmmm.  Kinda sounds like that binge I went on. Here’s what’s going on for this giveaway:

12/1/09 – 12 Days of Whataburger
The holidays are all about giving and so is Whataburger. So, we are happy to share “The Twelve Days of Whataburger” with you—a special promotion starting December 1st, where every other day until December 23rd, we’ll email you a coupon for a Free Food item. In order to receive these free offers once they start on December 1st, along with other future promotions, please click here to sign up.

So, head on over to the Whataburger site and sign up for your Twelve Days of Whataburger emails.  A little gift for yourself while you are gifting everyone else.  And those of you who aren’t near a Whatabuger.  I’m sorry.

And no, I was not paid or rewarded for this post.  Whataburger doesn’t know who I am and doesn’t know I wrote this love note to them.

All writing and photos (unless noted) property of LoneStarLifer 2009.
Photos courtesy of Whataburger website.

 

reBlog from Wren Caulfield: True Adventures in Money Hacking

Another giveaway:

We promised another giveaway today, and here it is. Our awesome sponsor UPrinting is offering two lucky TAiMH readers 100 free custom postcards (with free UPS shipping to the US, of course). Make them for yourself or someone else. Use them to promote your blog, special event, or business. Get creative and use them for invitations, thank-you cards, moving announcements, or whatever your little heart desires. These are really fantastic cards: 4 x 6, full-color on both sides on a sturdy 14-point glossy cardstock.Wren Caulfield, True Adventures in Money Hacking, Oct 2009

You should read the whole article.

Book Giveaway.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-books-rimagefree9958466-resi1710300

 

If you like to read, check this site for a book giveaway.  The book is Once In a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge.  Extraordinary Mommy, who is hosting the giveaway, said it was a book she could not put down.

Here is the editorial review from Amazon: “Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.

Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.”

Contest runs through October 24.  Be sure to read Extraordinary Mommy’s instructions for the giveaway.  Let me know if you win!

 

All writing, unless noted, is property of LoneStarLifer. 2009. 

Free Business Cards.

A gift enclosure card designed by me.

A blog named True Adventures in Money Hacking, the official blog for Tired of Being Poor.net is running a giveaway.  UPrinting.com is giving 250 free business cards, along with free UPS shipping,  to a lucky winner.  There are several ways to use these cards.  For business, obviously. Calling cards. Enclosure cards.  Personal cards to hand out instead of scribbling your phone number on a ripped-out piece of check.

I’ve used UPrinting.com before.  I designed Big J’s business cards for his realty business.  They were reasonably priced and I found the website easy to use as far as designing and ordering the cards.

If you are interested in entering this contest, click here to read the instructions on how to enter.

Good Luck!

PS – One day soon, I’ll be introducing a line of postcards, notecards, enclosure cards, etc., that I’ve been designing and creating.  The card at the top of this post is one of the enclosure cards.

All photographs and writing property of LoneStarLifer. 2009.

 

 

 

Giveaway.

All the cool bloggers do it.

Have a giveaway.

So I’m going to have a giveaway.

So I’ll be cool, too.

A way for us to get to know each other better.

So here is the fabulous gift awaiting you.

 

One of a kind playing cards.

You will have your very own, exclusive LoneStarLifer designed deck of playing cards.  The picture on the card was taken by me in Alaska.

There are two decks to be given away.  The set above, which is rectangular.

And this unique deck of round cards.   

I also took the picture on this deck.

You can enter up to four times by:

(1) Leaving a comment here and telling me where you would cruise if money was no object. 
(2) Twittering about the giveaway and letting me know you did.
(3) If you are a blogger, linking to this post and encouraging your readers to come by and leave a comment.Email me at lonestarlifer(at)gmail(dot)com and let me know you linked to this post.
(4) Subscribing to this blog using Feedburner in the top right corner of my site and leaving another comment to let me know.

Now that you’ve stopped hyperventilating from the awesomeness of this giveaway, enter by September 12, 2009 and hopefully you will soon be playing solitaire with your own deck of Alaska playing cards.  Yes, I know it’s not a computer or a plane ticket.  But you have to start somewhere.

Let the dealing begin!!

All photographs and writing property of LoneStarLifer. 2009.