Lucky

Back in November, many of my Facebook friends posted "Thirty Days of being Thankful." I loved the sentiment, but hated how contrived the whole situation felt. But, as we approach St. Patty's Day, and leprechauns seem to be everywhere, I've been thinking more and more about how lucky I am, and therefore thankful for all the things I have.

In no particular order, here are a few things I feel particularly lucky to have in my life...

• A husband, who is even quirkier and more bizarre than I am.
• A loving, supportive, although slightly bizarre from time to time, family.
• A healthy baby boy on the way (who responds to Broadway musicals more than any other stimulus-score!).
• A job doing exactly what I want, especially in this economic climate where both the arts and teachers are often devalued.
• Two mutts who fell into our lives and love me unconditionally.m
• A wonderful group of talented, thoughtful friends, both online and in real life. I am often astounded by the talents, abilities, and integrity of the people I have been lucky enough to surround myself with. Back in 2005, while planning our wedding, I stumbled upon the wedding planning website "TheKnot." I graduated on to their sister site, "The Nest," after our wedding, and hung out primarily on a board called "Decorating and Renovating." (And yes, I now hang out on "The Bump" some.) It was on that message board I met a lovely group of 12 other women. We clicked, despite a variety of different ages, locations, and backgrounds. We've all long left the "The Nest" and keep in touch privately, and I've learned to rely upon these ladies for their advice and support. 

In honor of the luckiness that comes with March, and how lucky we all feel to have such a strong supportive system we have found in each other online, several of us have banded together to create this awesome giveaway. All you need to do is a leave a comment telling me why you are lucky.

Because we feel so lucky to be a part of this group, we want to share with you! Please take the time to "meet" each of the 10 wonderful ladies that are participating in this giveaway! Each person shares what they are giving away and a little about themselves below. Once you are done reading about everyone and their blogs or businesses, simply use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! There is definitely something for everyone! Remember, this giveaway is Winner Take All, so the winner would be receiving something from each person! 

Crystal from My Ramblings is giving away a $25 Tupperware Gift Certificate! Here's what she has to say about her blog and giveaway item:

Hey y'all! I'm Crystal.  I'm a single girl in my (now late) 20s, who is still waiting for something magical to happen.  My blog is a mish mash of all the crazy fun things that go on in my life, and the random thoughts that just pop in my head! I'm giving away a $25 Tupperware Gift Card.  I am a Tupperware Consultant, and being in this business has changed my life so much. I love sharing our products with other people! 

Holly from When Two Became Four is giving away a doTerra Essential Oils Introductory Kit. Meet Holly and learn about this prize: 

I wear a lot of hats in life. Being a mom of twins, working in educational research, owning my own Tastefully Simple business, being a good wife, daughter, friend, etc. are all parts of me (and the mom hat is by FAR the best!). Sometimes you need a boost. doTerra's essential oils give me that boost for sure!

Whenever the girls or myself feel a cruddy sinus infection coming on, the Breathe blend is fantastic. On Guard is a great immune system booster for us. Eucalyptus feels great sprinkled onto a rice bag for a headache. I'm a big believer that essential oils are so important to maintain our well-being, and doTerra is simply the best.

My contribution to the Lucky Girlfriends giveaway is a doTerra introductory starter kit (full size lemon, peppermint and lavender oils), doTerra unscented lotion to use with the oils, and the very delicious and therapeutic doTerra lip balm with wild orange and peppermint essential oils.

The seasonal change is the perfect time to start a doTerra regimen, and I want to pass these along to a new "girlfriend" of mine! Good luck :)

Hope from The Wino That I Know is giving away a $10 Gift Card to Total Wine.  Here's what she says: 

While I haven't been enjoying much wine as of late, there's no reason you shouldn't! Total Wine is one of my favorite stores for browsing, sampling and purchasing new wines. I'm thrilled to give one lucky reader a $10 Total Wine gift card to experiment with some new wines.

Michelle from Sweet Tea and Tacos is so talented, that she wrote a book! She's giving away a copy of "To Hymn We Sing." Check out what she has to say about her blog and her book:

I'm Michelle, a 30 something music teacher who loves to sew, cook, do crafty projects around the house, and decorate. My blog represents my ADHD self - it's random. Some days you get my pregnancy rants, as we are expecting our first baby in August, and some days you get my favorite recipes, stories about my adorable dog, or the projects I'm working on around the house! Grab a glass of sweet tea and a taco, and swing on over to Texas at Sweet Tea and Tacos!

"To Hymn We Sing" is a devotional book based on the stories behind the hymn texts we know and love. Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, we sang hymn after hymn every Sunday, and they always captivated me. This book digs deeper into the text: what the author was going through when writing and what was going on in the world. It was a joy to research these hymns and tie them together with the Word and a devotion.

Mandy from This Girl's Life is giving away a Vintage Inspired Key Charm Beaded Necklace from her Etsy Shop, Love Squirrels.  Here's what she has to say about her blog: 

This Girl's Life is my personal blog about my adventures as a 30-something working mom of twin boys. I love anything that involves crafts, interior design and fashion, and I'm a bit addicted to good coffee and dark chocolate. Enjoying the journey of marriage, motherhood and lots of crafty projects in between!

Michelle from Dirt Road Damsel is giving away a $25 Gift Card to Hobby Lobby! Meet Michelle: 

Hey all! This is Michelle from Dirt Road Damsel. I am a twenty-something year old mom to two crazy little girls, a blogger, a crafter and a veteran army wife from Northeast Oklahoma. When I’m not working, hanging out with my husband, or chasing after my kids you can probably catch me with a glue gun in my hand. I love all things crafty and I am constantly thinking of new fun DIY projects to try out. So, it only makes perfect sense that my contribution on our BIG giveaway is a $25 gift card to my favorite store... Hobby Lobby! On a regular basis, I visit my local Hobby Lobby at least twice a week. It is my go to place for everything crafty and fun! If I won a gift card from there, I can guarantee you I would make a beeline right to the scrapbooking department to load up on vinyl for my Cricut and cute scrapbooking embellishments! Good luck!

Amanda from Pixel Perfect Invitations is giving away a Custom Invitation Design! Meet Amanda and learn about her business: 

My name is Amanda, and I'm the designer at Pixel Perfect Invitations.  I have a degree in Media, with an Art minor. I've been designing custom invitations for friends and family for about 7 years, but recently decided to open my business up to a wider audience. Check out my Facebook page, where you can see samples of my work.  The winner of this giveaway will receive a custom invitation design, where you will get a digital copy that you can print yourself. I look forward to designing your next invitations! Every Pixel will be Perfect! 

Rachel from Baby Makes Three...And Now Four is giving away a LeapFrog Discovery House! Meet Rachel and learn why she loves this toy: 

My blog started out as a baby blog to document my pregnancy and raising my son but it morphed. Although I still consider myself a “Mommy Blogger”, I have other interests! I love to knit, cook, read and talk about myself. Enjoy my ramblings about being a mom and about my life.

I recently posted about my boys’ favorite things so in honor of that post, I am giving away a LeapFrog My Discovery House. This is such a fun toy! Yes, even though it has buttons and makes noise, I promise it’s not annoying. Your kiddo will learn all kinds of things while working on their fine motor skills. Each side of the house has a different house related activity (a refrigerator, a doorbell) and there are plenty of knobs, buttons and sliders to keep your little one occupied. Both my 1 year old and 3 year old LOVE this toy.

Crystal is a Tastefully Simple Consultant. Learn about her business and her awesome prize: 

Studies show that 80% of American households have no idea what is for dinner by 4 pm each day. Does this sound familiar, even some of the time? Tastefully Simple is the original in-home tasting party company, and our specialty is offering easy, tasty mealtime solutions that everyone loves! Whether you need a quick dip to take to a picnic or potluck, or you want to make a gourmet tasting meal with time constraints, we can help. Like my Facebook Page, and post a quick hello to me and leave your name, city and state! 

My prize for the giveaway is our new Chillin' Out gift set. This set comes in a lemon yellow gift bag containing our excellent new Dill Pickle Dip Mix and a lovely lime green ceramic dip chiller. Perfect for those hot afternoons! Retail Value: $36.95.

If you would like to try our products, go to my website and place an order! Your order will come directly to your door by UPS and you will receive an additional entry in the giveaway.

Katie from Stumbled Onto The Blogwagon is giving away a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card! Meet Katie and find out why: 

KT LOVES books! You can read about her adventures in reading 50 books in 52 weeks in 2011 or check out what she's read this year (and the grades she's given each book). Gift card is good for purchases at bn.com and in-store.

So...
If you've been keeping track, that's over $225 worth of awesome prizes! One lucky person will get them all! Use the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter. The only mandatory entry is that you leave a comment on this post. There are tons of optional entries available. We strongly encourage you to visit as many of the ladies as possible and show them some love for sponsoring this giveaway.  Winner will be announced after the giveaway closes on Friday, March 15 and the winner is verified. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Prizes are sponsored by the individuals unless otherwise stated. This giveaway is not in conjunction with any company and any information gathered during entry will only be used to verify winners.* 

a Rafflecopter giveaway