Wordless Wednesday w/ Linky - Carving Her Pumpkin

Rachel helping Daddy carve her pumpkin. Or should I say, Rachel instructing Daddy on how to carve her pumpkin:)

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Blogger Opp - iPad Mini Holiday Event

Another great event for bloggers. Offer your readers the chance to win a cool iPad Mini for the holidays.  Free link for participating and there's also a blogger referral prize.  When you sign up, please say Lil' Debi As Mama referred you.  See you on the 21st.

iPad Mini Holiday Event

Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8

Prizes: iPad Mini

Event dates: 11/21 - 12/5

Free Blog Event! Sign-up here, BLOGGERS WANTED

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Bloggers Wanted - Choose Your U Event!

You do not want to miss out on this one.  This is going to be an awesome event for the new Wii U! There are also a couple prizes up for bloggers.  Sign up now for this free blog event.  Please tell them Lil' Debi As Mama referred you.

Choice Your U Event

Hosted by Mom Powered Media and Iowa Mom

Prizes: Wii U Console {2 units = 1 a month}

Event dates: 11/2-11/30 & 12/2-12/30

Free Blog Event! Sign-up here, BLOGGERS WANTED

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Earn Freebies For Your Social Media Influence

I'm sure a lot of you have at least heard of Klout.  Klout measures your online influence and gives you a score of 1 - 100.  The data from your social networks is analyzed daily.  Just because you have thousands of followers and fans doesn't mean you'll have a high Klout score.  It depends on how much others engage with the content you share on your social networks.  For more details on how the score is calculated visit this page>About Klout Score.

Once a member of Klout, you will develop a list of topics.  Topics are based on your most engaged content.  They represent what you regularly talk about and your areas of expertise.  Topics can be added to your profile by Klout, you or anyone.  Your ranking in a topic is determined by receiving +K's.  Anyone can visit your profile and click the Give +K button next to the topics you influenced them about.

Your score, topics and where you live can also earn you brand rewards called Klout Perks.  Perks can be a free product, experience or exclusive savings.  Past perks have been phones, airline tickets, books, beauty products, wine and lots more.  Popular brands that have given perks are Chevy, American Express, Starbucks, Red Bull, Disney, Essie and HBO just to name a few.

 






These are the freebies I have received in the mail from Klout Perks.  I also took a picture of a few.

• Essie nail polish                                                 
• Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso
• Trident gum
• Fix Young America e-book
• Lipton Tea & Honey
• The Adventures of Tin Tin dvd
• Falling Skies dvd
• Micro Fiber screen cleaner
• Blackwing pencil kit
• Axe body spray
• 'Go Red For Women' pin
• Red Bull

If you're not a member of  Klout,  you can sign up for free here>>Klout.com.   Start earning free perks for your social media influence.

Are you already a Klout member?  If so, please leave a comment sharing any freebies you've received.

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Wordless Wednesday w/ Linky - Girlfriends

I just love this picture of my daughter and her little buddy sitting on the beach.

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

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FixMeStick Review and Giveaway

I have fell victim to a virus in the past that really messed up my laptop. I'm sure a lot of you know what a nightmare a virus or malware can be. That's why I wanted to bring you this giveaway and possibly lessen some of my readers nightmares. Check out A Medic's World's review on the FixMeStick and then enter to win your own.
Good Luck Everyone!

This review/giveaway is being brought to you by Tom Shewbridge over at A Medic's World.

When I was asked to do a review on this, I was not sure how it would all turn out. Viruses and Malware on the computer have been plaguing and bogging down systems for decades, and it is hard to decide the best way to protect your computer against these threats. FixMeStick gives people a stable choice in the Virus/Malware Removal market with a hardware alternative.

So what is FixMeStick?

The FixMeStick is a PC virus detection and removal product. It's a simple-to-use, self-updating, self-contained USB hardware device. You just plug a FixMeStick into your PC's USB port, reboot, and let it run. When it's done cleaning off the malware, you simply pull it out and reboot your PC, and your PC returns to your regular Windows operating system.

Let me start off by saying, this will not solve all issues, but from what I have tested, it serves a purpose to help those who maybe are not as tech savvy as others, and adds to your arsenal of protection for your PC Computer. Since this is self-contained on the USB Stick, and it boots from the USB Stick, it doesn't give Windows a chance to run, where the virus might hide or replicate itself. It runs off of itself by running a version of Linux Operating Software, so that it can use the 3 different scanning engines that it uses to search out the "bad guys". So to you and me, we don't have to worry about installing Linux on our computer, or making our computer being able to dual boot, it just does
it for us.





The above picture is showing the FixMeStick in my Laptop Computer. My computer was already on when I went to start it, so my Computer folder in Windows opened, and I double clicked the icon in the folder to get started. Now this is when you have to let it do it's thing. It will reboot the computer and start running its program from the USB drive without Windows starting up. The first thing its going to do is download the latest definitions and again, you don't have to do anything, it just does this all by itself as will see in the picture below.





Now in order for it to update, it obviously has to be able to connect to the internet through the USB drive when it boots up, if for some reason your internet connection is not working, you may have some issues with this phase, but they have a knowledgeable and excellent support team that will be able to walk you through anything that might pop up.

When it first starts a friendly note states to come back later to check on it, and that is a good idea, it took almost 25 minutes on my laptop for the definitions to update. Now this can probably vary based on internet speed, and the type of connection you have, but in this case mine was using WiFi, so keep this in mind. While this did not bother me so much that I was losing the computer for this period of time, unlike other virus programs that might run in the background while using your computer, this is completely hardware based, so you will lose the use of your computer during the scan. One other recommendation I can make is if you are using this on your laptop, make sure it is plugged in, all computer batteries are not alike, and mileage does vary, so it is possible by the time it updates, and scanning are almost complete you could run out of power, so plug them in!




Once it gets to the actual scanning phase this is when you will find out if something is wrong, a warning box will pop up during scanning letting you know if there is an infection or not, and when my scan was done it found 5 malicious items, one being a Trojan Virus. The program tells you which files are infected and will then give you the choice to quarantine those items. Now this is where this differs from some Software versions, FixMeStick does clean files when it can otherwise it can just quarantine them, or you can leave them on there, fortunately for me, none of the files were system files or files that the computer essentially needs to start up or run Windows. If you were to quarantine one these system files and your system does not start up correctly, this is when their customer service steps up to the plate, if you were to start up the FixMeStick again, you can undo an action, and have it put that file back in place, but its best to contact support where they will be able to help you, and while I was reviewing their customer service page, send you a clean file to replace the infected one with.


FixMeStick is not a replacement for your anti-virus programs, it is to help you with the ones that get through, that they can't find. Why again is this helpful, while in Windows, viruses/malware can hide, and since this does not boot through windows, it bypasses all that, to find the sources, and help you rid your computer of them. The $59.99 includes one year of automatic updates when you use the drive, and free customer support which is part of the real value here. This gets you protection for up to 3 computers in any calender month, which should serve the needs for most homes that have computers. So if you have 4 computers, you can do 3 computers, wait 30 days, and then clean the 4th computer along with 2 others again. If you rotate it right, you will always protect your computers. After the initial year, you would need to renew at $59.99 for the same 3-license agreement and customer support, but you would not need to buy another drive. If you have a lot of computers, or run a small business, you can buy the FixMeStick Pro for $299.99 and that gets you unlimited uses on an unlimited amount of computers for 1 year.


Working with your computers malware and anti-virus software, FixMeStick is a valuable source to help you when the virus/malware has you beat. You can visit them at FixMeStick.com where you will find more information and how to buy it, you can also buy it from Amazon by clicking here, where Amazon users give it 5 out of 5 Stars from 38 reviews! Which is exactly what I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own (Tom Shewbridge) and may differ from those of your own. I was provided a FixMeStick to conduct this review.


I am happy to announce that FixMeStick will be providing one lucky winner with their own USB Stick valued at $59.99, the giveaway will be open the the US and Canada.  Lil' Debi As Mama is not responsible for prize delivery. You can enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway





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Feeling Lucky?....7 Giveaways for Amazon cash!

777 Dragon Casino is at it again giving away a $75 Amazon voucher. Last June I posted their iPod giveaway and it went very well. Congratulations again to Stacy M. who won the iPod.

I like to play Texas Hold'em sometimes late at night. It helps me unwind before trying to get some sleep. Whether you like poker, dice, slots or whatever, 777 Dragon Online Casino has plenty of games to choose from.

Check them out on Facebook also here >> 777 Dragon Casino

Easy to enter with the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck everyone!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Now remember, I did say giveawayS. Some more online casinos are also each giving away a $75 Amazon voucher. You can enter as many as you like below. Of course, the more entries you complete means more chances of winning. Giveaways run until the end of the month.

Each casino and the rafflecopter are shown below. To find out more about each casino, just click their name for website or Fan Page for Facebook page.  GOOD LUCK again!

Casino Mate
 Authentically themed Australian online casino

Fan page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Casino UK
The UK's favorite place to play!

Fan Page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Golden Riviera
Passion of Las Vegas with the opulence of the French Riviera.

Fan Page 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maple Casino
The Authentically Canadian Online Casino

Fan Page

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sun Vegas Casino
Like a tropical paradise!

Fan Page

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cinema Casino
Play online and step into various scenes

Fanpage  

a Rafflecopter giveaway




You already know that poker is my game.  What's your favorite casino game? 

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How To Etch A Halloween Pumpkin

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  I love everything about it, including pumpkin carving.  An alternative to carving is etching.  It's not as messy and your pumpkins will last longer.  Etching a  pumpkin also leaves you with a limitless choice of designs.

Source: thebluebrick.ca via Sherrie on Pinterest

You can buy special tools to etch your pumpkin, or you can use the tip of a vegetable peeler, screwdriver, drill bit, nails and etc.  These are the basic steps to etching your Halloween pumpkin.

1. Make sure your pumpkin is clean and dry.
2. Decide on a design pattern.  Depending on your artistic abilities, you can freehand draw the pattern on your pumpkin  or use a stencil and trace it.
3. Following your lines carve a trench 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch deep.
4. After all is etched, wipe away any excess skin.

Check out the video below for further instructions.

marthastewart.com via Deb on Pinterest

If you are really creative, you can do a combination of carving and etching. The traditional triangle eyes and one tooth grin carvings are a way of the past.
 


 We are going to the pumpkin patch this weekend.  We'll see what creations I come up with.  I'm sure I will post some pictures of the finished masterpiece.



Do you decorate a pumpkin for Halloween?   Please share your pumpkin ideas and tips in the comments.  Please decorate safely, you don't want to lose a finger.

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Wordless Wednesday w/ Linky - Underground Sand Castle

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Fujifilm Creating Holiday Memories Giveaway

I love to take pictures of everything.  My hubby says I get "picture happy".  That's why I am so excited to bring you this giveaway.  Just think of all the holiday memories you could capture with this awesome digital camera.  Good Luck Everyone!
  

 

Welcome to the Creating Holiday Memories Giveaway Event!

Hosted by Mom Blog Society

Special thanks to our lovely co-hosts Mom to Bed by 8, Shannon's View from Here, Sommerfugl Design, JadeLouise Designs and Health, Beauty, Children & Family!

The versatile and functional Fujifilm FinePix S4250 14MP Digital Camera gives a sensational shooting experience. The Fujinon lenses are used popularly in numerous situations including satellites in outer space, TV, film, surveillance and compact cameras. With the highly adept manufacture of Fujifilm, high precision optic and technology are provided for the best 24mm wide angle and 24x optical zoom. The lens elements used in the FinePix S4250 have been treated with multilayer Super EBC (Electron Beam Coating), the same process used for Fujinon broadcasting video lenses and large-format camera lenses acclaimed by professionals. Reducing ghosting and lens flare, the treatment promises clear image quality. The powered 24x zoom features smooth 42-step zoom control, giving you the ability to frame every shot with precision accuracy.

 

One lucky reader will receive an Fujifilm FinePix S4250 Digital Camera!

Giveaway ends October 28th at 11:59pm, open to US and Canadian residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Springboard America Payment

Springboard America is one of my favorite paid survey sites.  Most surveys pay between $1 - $5 and take me less than 10 minutes to complete.  I like this site because the surveys are easy and quick.

To join Springboard America complete a short member survey and confirm your e-mail address.  You will then receive survey invitations by e-mail.  I receive one or two a week, so don't worry about getting your e-mail flooded. 

Once your account reaches $50, you can redeem for a check, PayPal or donation to a U.S. charity.  I just received my PayPal payment as seen below.  The extra $50 will come in handy for Halloween fun and treats.

In addition to receiving survey dollars, you are also awarded sweepstakes entries.  Drawings are held for gift certificates, products or cash.  There are usually 6 prizes awarded quarterly ranging from $50 - $500.

If you would like to join, click here>>  Springboard America  

Or you can also join through their Facebook Page here>>  Springboard America Fan Page

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Wordless Wednesday With Linky - Family Time At The Duck Park

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Hotel Transylvania Party With Crowdtap

Welcome to Mavis's 118th Birthday Party Bash hosted by her father, Dracula, at Hotel Transylvania!

Hotel Translyvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, is a place where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters - Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more - to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. 

Hotel Translyvania’s star-studded cast includes Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula, Selena Gomez as Mavis, Kevin James as a clumsy and loveable Frankenstein, Cee-Lo Green as the musically talented Mummy, and Andy Samberg as the hotel’s human intruder, Johnathan. Plus many more.

As a member of Crowdtap, I got to host a Hotel Transylvania Party with Mavis.  Despite her father's strict no humans policy and not leaving Hotel T property, Mavis still wanted human kids and their friends to share in the celebration with the help of Crowdtap. 

Crowdtap gives consumers VIP access to your favorite brands. You receive points for your participation with different brands.  Points can be redeemed for gift certificates or charity donations.   I have really enjoyed being a member and have earned  $70 in Amazon gift cards and donation to The Red Cross.  For more information about Crowdtap just click the button to the right. 

Now back to the party.  My daughter was excited about the Hotel T party and we invited some of her friends and her uncle.  I had some games and activities for everyone to enjoy.  In preparation for such a monster  event, we also made some ghoulish cupcakes for our guests.

Rachel properly greeted our guests wearing her vampire cape and fangs.  We started off the festivities by watching some clips of the movie to get everyone in the monster  mood.

Then the kids took turns doing some fun printout activites and playing online games.  The Hotel Transylvania social game on Facebook is pretty fun.  I was surprised at how addictive it was.  The kids really enjoyed them too.
Check out the Facebook app here>> Hotel T Social Game
You can also find more Hotel T fun and games here>> Sony Pictures

Everyone had a really good time.   A couple of the kids had already seen the movie and loved sharing different lines from the movie.  My hubby said he just loved the little boy who kept saying, "Blahhh Bla Blah" over and over again.  (Make that, my hubby sarcastically said...lol)  In the midst of all the fun and playing, everyone also got to enjoy my yummy monster cupcakes.  I think the party was a success.  It was also nice to do something with the neighborhood kids.   I heard one boy saying he was going to tell his friends at school all about it.
 

  
 
Are you excited to see Hotel Transylvania at the theater?  Or if you have already seen the movie, how did you like it?  Who is your favorite monster?  Please share in the comments.  I love to hear my readers views.




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iPad3 Holiday Giveaway

I am very excited to bring you this giveaway.  Here's your chance to win an iPad3 just in time for the holidays.  Remember the more entries you complete, the more chances you have to win.  I wish everyone Good Luck!

Welcome to the iPad3 Holiday Giveaway Event!

Hosted by Mom Blog Society

Special thanks to our lovely co-hosts Mom to Bed by 8, Thinking Outside The Sandbox, Moms Living Thrifty and Food N Service for their help bringing this giveaway to life!

Apple iPad Wi-Fi 16 GB – 3rd generation

Pick up the iPad and suddenly, it’s clear. You’re actually touching your photos, reading a book, playing the piano. Nothing comes between you and what you love. To make that hands-on experience even better, they made the fundamental elements of iPad better – the display, the camera, the wireless connection. All of which makes the third-generation iPad capable of so much more than you ever imagined. Everything you do with iPad, you do through its large, beautiful display. And when the display is better, the entire iPad experience is better. The Retina display on the iPad features a 2048-by-1536 resolution, 44-percent greater color saturation, and an astounding 3.1-million pixels – in the same 9.7-inch space. That’s four times the number of pixels in iPad and a million more than an HDTV. Those pixels are so close together, your eyes can’t discern individual ones at a normal viewing distance. When you can’t see the pixels, you see the whole picture. Or article. Or game. In ways you never could before.

Product Features

• 9.7 Retina Display; 2048 x 1536 Resolution
• Apple iOS 5; Dual-Core A5X Chip with Quad-Core Graphics
• 5 Megapixel iSight Camera; 1080p Video Recording
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); 16 GB Capacityes: 1 x Headphones – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Docking / port replicator – 30-pin dock connector
• Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life; 1.44 lbs

One lucky reader will receive an iPad 3 Generation {16Gb, Wi-Fi}!

Giveaway ends November 1st at 11:59pm, open worldwide, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Win $500 in the Spooky Halloween Giveaway

Halloween has always been a favorite holiday of mine.  I love everything about it from dressing up, carving pumpkins and scary movies.  My daughter and I are going to be pirates this year.  I'm working on the costumes, so look for some pictures coming soon.  Halloween is even better with a giveaway.  Welcome to the Spooky Halloween Giveaway.  Good Luck Everyone!!!

Joys Of Life, Empowered Mommy, Pregnancy Forum have teamed up with many other awesome bloggers to bring you this fabulous giveaway this Halloween.



What are your plans this Halloween? How do you usually celebrate Halloween? We would like to know if you have any spooky stories to share! With all the stories you have to share we are giving you a chance to win $500 cash. You can do anything with the winning cash, enjoy something that you have been waiting for.



ONE lucky winner takes home $500 Cash by the end of the giveaway!



The winner will be notified via email. No reply within 48 hours would
make us choose another winner at random. For fairness sake, we will be
evaluating all the entries - anyone that uses multiple entries from one
ip address will be disqualified from the giveaway. Only ONE ip per
household is allowed. Please read our disclosure for more information
and giveaway rules.



Thank you to all the wonderful people who have donated
enough to make this giveaway a successful event. Rest of the
prize amount has been covered by the hosts of the giveaway!



Allow the rafflecopter widget below to load. Make sure you complete all
the tasks to maximize your chances to win. You must be 18+ to enter. This giveaway  is open World-wide
and runs from October 1 to November 2.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclosure: I was not compensated for this publication. All views are my own and may differ to than that of yours. Lil' Debi As Mama is not responsible for the prize fulfillment.



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