Breaking news! I actually do have the cutest kid in existence!

Okay, sure. Every other parent will argue with me but let me please submit the following evidence to the judges.  aka you & hopefully some Gap modeling scouts.

(just kidding.  sort of.  because it’s either that or a basketball scholarship that will get the kid through college.)

parksmile 1024x768 Breaking news!  I actually do have the cutest kid in existence!

When I was pregnant, I always wondered what Harrison’s eyes would be like.  Of course they would be blue (with two blue-eyed parents & no green-eyed siblings, I think I read somewhere that it is next to impossible for Doug & I to produce anything but blue-eyed children), but I love that Harrison got the wider shape of my eyes but the deep blue of Doug’s eyes.  It’s the perfect combination.

parkcollage 1024x654 Breaking news!  I actually do have the cutest kid in existence!

Thanksgiving was an awesome time for family & friends & lots of calories, but I was most excited for four days off with my little guy.  We snuck out on Saturday morning to the local park, just the two of us.  I packed a loaf of stale bread for the ducks & he showed me how he’s grown so fearless – going down the big tunnel slide with no hesitation or help.

smirk 1024x768 Breaking news!  I actually do have the cutest kid in existence!

Also?  He has my weird half-smile smirk.  Inherited or a learned behavior from watching his momma?  I would say from watching me, but then I see him wrap his fingers around ribbon to suck his thumb, something I always did, & wonder if even the smallest things can be related.

pictures part of the #penready project with Olympus.  Olympus PEN camera gifted to me.

HeirtoBlair500x150 v41 Breaking news!  I actually do have the cutest kid in existence!

One way or another, aka Oreck vacuum review & giveaway!

A few months ago, my old Hoover gave one final death rattle as the bottom fell completely off.  Which was a good thing, considering we had electrical tapeimages One way or another, aka Oreck vacuum review & giveaway! holding the cord together & it was only a matter of time before our house burned down during my weekly cleaning session.  I tweeted out for suggestions, got a few but ended up going the expected route by purchasing…well, I can’t really do a call out because it’s just not nice or fair to any party involved but I will say that it rhymes with the guy on the right.

& I was pleased.  My vacuum did it’s job, did it well, but when Oreck approached me to review their new Forever Series Gold vacuum, I hopped on the chance.  Mainly because when I was vacuum shopping, there was very little reviewing or comparison.  There was a lot of “I love my Hoover!” but no explanation.  & everyone out there claimed “WE SUCK THE MOST!” but there was no real comparison as to who sucked in a good way & who just…sucked.

I was a little surprised when I unpacked my Oreck vacuum & realized it was kind of old-school looking.  & that the attachments weren’t for the upright vacuum, but for the Ultimate Handheld Vacuum Cleaner.

Remember how your momma always told you to not judge a book by it’s cover?  YEAH.  THAT.

IMG 0133 1024x768 One way or another, aka Oreck vacuum review & giveaway!

Short & sweet?  While it’s awkward having two different vacuums where most combine the two, there is a huge difference & advantage.  Because the upright doesn’t have the extra parts, it is super-light.  It almost seems to propel itself & both Doug & I prefer it to our old vacuum.  It lies almost flat in motion to reach under beds, which means that the dog hair under the bed has finally met it’s match without me having to lift the mattress.  Because it’s lacking the bulk of the attachments, there’s space for an extra-long cord (35 ft!) so that I can make it through the entire floor level without having to switch outlets.  Also, the HEPA bag is excellent for my asthma, meaning that nothing gets kicked back into the air – it’s all trapped in the bag.

& the Ultimate Handheld?  HELLO, MY NEW LOVAH.  No more lugging a vacuum up & down stairs, balancing it on stairs while trying to find the right attachment.  I just sling it over my shoulder & hop up & down the stairs.  The attachments hook right on & the extra-long cord means that I can tackle the windows & drapes in the dining room, move up the stairs, & get the fan blades in the loft without any readjustment.

So how does it compare?

The Oreck & rhymes-with-bison are comparable suck-wise.  My floors are wonderfully clean.  The Oreck Forever Series Gold is lighter & has a longer cord, which makes it easier to pull it out for a quick clean after dinner. On the rhymes-with-bison, it is all in one package, so it is heavier & bulkier with a shorter cord.  On the other hand, the maneuverability of the Ultimate Handheld cannot be beat.  I’ve found myself gravitating towards the Oreck every time, even though I had once been so stoked to join the rhymes-with-bison club a year ago.

(I kept my mouth shut & handed Doug the Oreck to see which he likes & hands-down, he prefers the Oreck.)

So here’s the lovely part for you!  One of you will win an Oreck Forever Series Gold vacuum & the Ultimate Handheld, valued at $599.

To enter, please visit Oreck & tell me one thing you’ve learned about the Oreck Forever Series Gold vacuum.

Overachiever?  That’s okay.  I have more ways for you to enter.  Just leave a new comment for each task:
1)  Follow Oreck on Twitter
2)  Like Oreck on Facebook 

Rules:  The giveaway winner MUST reside in the 48 United States contiguous states.  Sorry, Canadians & Sarah Palin.

legality:  oreck graciously provided me with an oreck forever series golf vacuum & ultimate handheld vacuum at no cost to me.  i was not compensated for my time or opinion.  i am the sponsor of the giveaway while oreck supplies the prize.  however, i am so in love with the product & company that we have started an awesome new relationship.  boom!

Ronald McDonald House ~ giving for the holidays, 2.0

This one is for both the kiddos & the home, brought to you by one of my favorite products EVER.  I became a nutter for Scentsy awhile ago & when they introduced Sasha, the Scentsy Buddy to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities, I was first in line to purchase.

IMG 0222 1024x768 Ronald McDonald House ~ giving for the holidays, 2.0

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Getting organized at the holidays, which was an oxymoron for me until last month.

You know the drill – go to the mail box, squeal with delight that Real Simple & Southern Living have finally arrived that month, run inside & pour over each issue until it’s read front-to-back.  Then go back & dog-ear every inspiring photo, rip out every yummy recipe, slap it on your fridge or fold it in your recipe book & promise you’ll find it later.

You know, three years later when you still haven’t made it.

I’ve had this issue for years when it comes to my home.  & then Pinterest was born but honestly?  I still rip recipes from magazines.  I have old recipe cards handed down from The Momma or her friends & little ideas sketched of parenting tips.  Or takeout menus & where on earth do I put the manual for the microwave?

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Some things are just better through snail mail. (aka Storkie review & giveaway!)

I love getting cards in the mail – party invitations, birth announcements, Save the Dates, Christmas cards.  They line our fridge year-long & I think that’s a habit I picked up from The Momma.  Currently, my friend Kacia’s little girl Harlow adorns our fridge, along with Dennis’ second birthday invite & last year’s Christmas card.  & two year’s later, The Lusher’s Save the Date still smiles up at us every time we dive into the freezer for ice cream.

For Harrison’s second birthday, Storkie Express graciously offered us a $50.00 credit to order invitations, which stretched far enough for 20 custom invites plus address labels to match!  While we were going for “Curious George inspired,” I really wasn’t into George himself adorning everything.  So I went with bouncing monkeys.

Picture 4 Some things are just better through snail mail. (aka Storkie review & giveaway!)

The cool thing is that I could change the colors, the texts, the fonts PLUS the number of monkeys, the gender of said monkeys, & even the pillow feathers flying around.  This was the “original” & I edited it to have a green background, blue bedspread, all boy monkeys with green & orange hats.  The software was a little sticky on some of my computers, but once I finally got it going? I was happy.

(confession? I was so distracted by job stuff that I only got THREE of the invites in the mail, handed a few out in person, & mostly passed them out at the actual party.  epic failure on my part.)

Picture 5 181x300 Some things are just better through snail mail. (aka Storkie review & giveaway!)Because I like passing on things I love, especially right before the holidays, one of you will also get a $50.00 credit to Storkie Express!  Got a birthday or announcement or you know, some kind of a big holiday with presents or nightly candles or fat men in suits?  I checked out their Christmas cards & fell in love with these:

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So different, right?!  I think those might have to be on my list.  If my friends sent these, I think I’d hang them on my tree or find a cute way to display them…like on a branch.  Because that’s the kind of thing I see on Pinterest.

So here’s what you do to enter to win the $50 credit!
1)  Go over to Storkie Express & tell me what you need most.  Invites? Christmas Cards?  Birth Announcements?
2)  For an extra entry, follow me or Storkie on Facebook.  Your choice.

Leave a separate comment for each entry, please.

Good luck!  I’ll email the winner in a few days!

Stealing is for losers. Copyright 2008-2012 Beth Anne Ballance