Monday, March 31, 2014

The Bouqs Company

The Bouqs - Premium Farm Direct Flowers 
The Bouqs Company is a new flower service that is bringing quality, simplicity, and a little romance to online flowers. The company is solving a basic problem: buying flowers online today is a terrible experience. Here’s how The Bouqs Company has fixed that:

TheBouqs.com makes flower ordering easy, and enjoyable:
Other companies suck you in with a $19.99 ad, but you end up paying $94.50 due to shipping, ‘care’ charges, and silly upsells. At TheBouqs.com, every Bouq is $40 with free shipping. A curated selection and 3-clicks to-check-out makes it easier than ever, and they help you know which flowers fit each occasion. And the site, unlike every other flower site, is beautiful. Check out TheBouqs.com - you’ll see what I mean.

TheBouqs.com offers super-fresh, premium flowers:
Typically, flowers bought in retail or from many online stores are already 2-weeks-dead by the time you buy them. The seller, of course, gives you the oldest stems they have. At The Bouqs Company, they cut the flowers when they’re ordered and not a day sooner, and they’re shipped straight from farms in South America, 10,000 feet above sea level, on an active volcano. Seriously. And they ship in classic, premium packaging, and not some cheesy box from 1-866-Professional-Florists. This is a box designed to make the recipient feel special and loved.

TheBouqs.com subscriptions make life easy:
The Bouqs Company offers subscriptions for regular deliveries at a discount. In addition to a traditional subscription, the NeverForget subscription remembers important dates like anniversaries and birthdays for the client, provides email reminders, and ships on time every time. And the JustBecause subscription gives guys a gentle reminder that it may be a good time to send flowers to the woman in his life, Just Because. These services can help make a guy a better husband, boyfriend, brother or son, and get you receiving more flowers than ever before. Beautiful in so many ways! 

Check out this great deal (and many others!) just in time for Easter:

24 blooms, just $50€“ FREE SHIPPING! Shop The Bouqs Co. now!

 

List Giant

List Giant is the very best way for direct marketers and companies that use direct marketing to get superior lists and achieve their marketing goals. The user-friendly online portal lets you choose list demographics from all of the giant databases (millions and millions of Consumer and Business records) and define over 200 selects when building your lists, making it easy to design the perfect marketing list to target customers looking for your products and services.
List Giant is the most efficient and easy to use count and order system to generate targeted marketing lists that really convert. If you are looking to increase your sales and reach your target market, give them a call at 1-800-383-1381 and get started today!
 

Kendall Schmidt Is Choosing TuneCore

Artist, singer and trending Internet star Kendall Schmidt is choosing TuneCore music publishing to release his new band Heffron Drive's debut album and first single "Parallel". Now available on iTunes, the album was played live at multiple showcases this month during the SXSW music festival in Austin, TX.

Here is a bit from the interview, check out the rest of the interview on TuneCore Blog.

What are 3 tips you would give to an independent artist looking to grow his or her career?

#1. I think it’s important to know your music and really spend the time trying to find what’s going to make you different. I think about that a lot while writing Heffron Drive songs—my music is going to be diverse, but will have underlying themes tying it all together.

#2. It’s also important to have a team or someone who really believes in you and what you’re doing. You want to be around people who will spread the word about your music, people who will offer help and resources just because they want you to succeed. Having somebody in your corner is really important.

#3. Make connections. It’s important to go out and meet people, even beyond just spreading your music; it’s about spreading the word that you’re a good person, so be open and as friendly to people as you can be. I think if you’re up-and-coming, it’s really important to let your personality shine as well as your music. 

This post was created in partnership with eAccountable. All opinions are my own.

Hapari Swimwear Giveaway

Distinctive and beautiful, Hapari swimwear is designed to enhance a woman’s natural beauty – no matter her shape. At Hapari, we believe that every woman should look and feel great while having fun in the sun! And that is why our swimwear is created from the finest fabrics and with body-shaping features to help you feel comfortable and confident.
Who wouldn't want to wear a suit that will make you feel comfortable and confident?  Sweet Cheeks and Savings has teamed up with Hapari Swimwear to bring you this $100 Gift Card Giveaway!  Good Luck!  Before you enter the giveaway below, be sure to check out the full review HERE!

The Giveaway:
How to Enter: Please use the Giveaway Tool below!
Prize: $100 Gift Card to be used on Hapari Swimwear
Dates: Starts March 31st, 2014 12:00 am EST.  Winner will be chosen April 14th, 2014 11:59 pm EST.


Disclosure:  Sweet Cheeks and Savings teamed up with Hapari Swimwear for this giveaway. Other participating bloggers are not responsible for choosing the winner or shipment of product. They have not receive any compensation for this post. 
 

Tracking Medical Marijuana is a Budding Industry

Medical marijuana is legal in twenty states, the District of Columbia, and in Canada. In Colorado and Washington it’s even legal to smoke marijuana for recreation. With such a high demand for medical and recreational marijuana there needs to be inventory tracking otherwise pot growers may fall short on accountability and the black market can run rampant.
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This all seems odd but tracking marijuana is the antidote to black market sales. Believe it or not some marijuana growers have had to chip their pot plants with an RFID (radio frequency identification). These are not cheap for those who are farming cannabis on a large scale. Somehow many people never envisioned how complicated growing pot was going to be but no matter what way you look at this, it is farming that produces a cash crop.

From seed to fully grown plant keeping track of pot has become quite a business. For the states of Washington and Colorado this was easier before they rolled out the carpet to recreational use. Now that people over the age of 21 can legally smoke pot just for the heck of it, cannabis farmers have discovered that keeping up with demands has been nightmarish. Who would have ever thought that something as simple as growing pot would have ultimately become so high tech?

Can you imagine growing hundreds of pot plants and you have no choice but to track every single plant from the time you plant the seed to the moment it is on the scale? Keeping up with the high demand for recreational pot is not easy and there have been many times stores have had to either ration what they have to customers or they just don’t have any left on the shelves. Cannabis farmers are keeping very busy and this is great for the economy.

For so many people the mere thought of being able to walk through hundreds of pot plants would be a dream come true yet the reality is that legalized pot growers are doing this every day and earning a living from doing so. Many people in other states are eagerly waiting for the day that their state allows medical marijuana (and recreation use marijuana) so that they too can become entrepreneurs in a growing industry.

Make no mistake; growing marijuana is not as easy as it appears. This is way more than just farming (and this has plenty of challenges on its own); this is also a business that must run with absolute efficiency. Each seed, the location, the growth-phase, and production-phase all need to be efficiently tracked. Even nutrients and pesticides that are used in the growing phase must be tracked. From every seed to every gram of finished product, this business must be run according to the laws that govern them. Even if there is waste, this must be kept track of as well. That’s a huge task and finding the right product to help make production run smoothly is critical and this is why BioTrackTHC software leads the way.
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There is not a doubt that marijuana growers need a software solution that can help maximize the development of a grow house business plan. This software should include the ability to attain yield estimates, income, calculate energy costs, plan crops and budgets and more. Let’s face it; growing marijuana for business is high tech and there is a growing demand for management through mobile monitoring, email alerts, farm-wide monitoring and observation.

There are other necessary features of a good marijuana cultivation software system. Security is priority and having web-based patient information on the Internet is a disaster waiting to happen. Having a system that operates without the need to be online is best. Whatever software system you use it truly must be the most efficient seed to scale system available to ensure your business runs smoothly and your patient’s private information is never compromised. 

Katie Fields has been a long time medicinal marijuana advocate and has spent hours researching and writing about this topic. Having friends in the business, she knows that good tracking software is essential for successful marijuana production and applauds the hard work marijuana growers do every day.  

The Melting Pot Cookbook #Giveaway - 2 Winners

The Melting Pot Cookbook by Belle Serbin Fields

About The Book:
The best recipes collected over the years by a 100 year old Jewish Grandmother who considers entertaining a competitive sport. Her recipes not only taste good, but they have to look good, too. Belle's recipes are practical and unusual, and her ingredients are everyday items found in every kitchen. Although the book is written by a Jewish grandmother, this is not a kosher or even strictly Jewish cookbook. There are Chinese, Italian, German, Danish, and other nationalities represented among the recipes. Another lure to the book are the interesting tales of where and how she found many of the recipes, and events where she has used them. Finally, there are ideas of recipes that can be combined to present an unusual visual effect, like her 7 layer Jello mold table centerpiece, or her combination salad mold appetizer. Belle is a kitchen artist as well as a great cook and baker.

My Thoughts:
This was a fun read for me. I like the recipes, and love to try new ones, and there are some doozies in this cookbook! I also really liked to learn about where Grandma Belle got the recipes and how she used them! Those tidbits are fun to know!
 
 

Lollipop Seeds #EasterTradition

According to legend, the tradition of Lollipop Seeds goes back hundreds of years. Prior to Easter, children are encouraged to do something special for someone they love, from sharing a snack to washing the dishes. On the night before Easter, they toss the seeds, brought by the Easter Bunny, in the grass, make a wish for someone special, then place a marker by the seeds. When they wake on Easter morning, Lollipops will have sprouted, not by water or sun, but by kindness instead. Each Lollipop Seeds Kit comes with two seed packets, markers, and a beautifully illustrated keepsake book.
This is such a cute tradition to start. I love that it is a lesson, as well as a fun activity! We still have snow on the ground here in Minnesota, hoping some of it will melt by Easter....but in any case I'm gonna make it work! Callan will love it!
Check it all out at Lollipop Seeds on Facebook.
 

Safe Kids Day

Numerous celebrities and athletes are joining the effort and lending their names as Safe Kids Day “Celebrity Heroes”, including Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman, Nigel and Cristen Barker, Kate Hudson, Bill and Giuliana Rancic, Mark and Rhea Wahlberg, and more.

“7 Tips for Keeping Kids Safe”:
1. Tug on your kid’s car seat where the seat belt goes.
2. Secure furniture and TVs.
3. Check smoke and CO alarms monthly.
4. Scan your home for places kids can get into medicine.
5. Check around your house for coin-sized button batteries.
6. Ask your kid’s coaches if they have had concussion or sports safety training.
7. Call to action: Take the Challenge and Take Action Against Distraction.

Safe Kids Worldwide announced that annual Safe Kids Day events will be held around the country throughout April. These events will bring together families, celebrities, and donors to raise awareness and funds to prevent childhood injuries, the number one killer of kids in the United States. Numerous celebrities and athletes are joining the effort as Safe Kids Day Celebrity Heroes: Tom Arnold and Ashley Groussman, Neal and Ruve McDonough, Alysia and Louis Montaño, Piers Morgan and Celia Walden Garcelle Beauvais, James and Linda Caan, Pete Sampras and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Kate Hudson, as well as many others.

Two national Safe Kids Day fundraising events will be held on Saturday, April 5th at The Lot in Los Angeles and on Saturday, April 12th at the Highline Stages in New York City, in addition to local events held in more than 100 communities across the country. Every year, a million families around the world lose a child to a preventable injury. Millions more children are injured in ways that can affect them for a lifetime. Too many families don’t have access to the information they need to keep their children safe from tragedies such as drowning, car crashes, fires and falls. Safe Kids Worldwide provides resources to families and communities to protect children. The 2014 Safe Kids Day campaign fundraising goal is $1 million. Proceeds from Safe Kids Day support local, state and national injury prevention efforts of Safe Kids Worldwide. Safe Kids Day is presented by Children’s Tylenol with support from the General Motors Foundation, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, American Airlines, Tyco and others. To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide and Safe Kids Day, please visit safekids.org.
 

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Red is Evil! Every Couch Knows That.

Is there a color that represents evil?  Yes.  That color is red.  Let’s face it, most popular depictions of the Devil and of Hell feature a lot of red. But that’s just the human reason why red is evil.  Couches have their own reason.

Red things stain.  Red things stain really, really badly.

More to the point, red things stain couches.  Consider all the things that can most stain a couch, and you will see that most of them are red.
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Tomatoes.  Tomatoes are one of the most heartless stainers around.  More than just heartless, they are sneaky, too.  They rarely approach a couch in the open.  They are masters of disguise.  They dress up as tomato sauce, as ketchup, as pizza, as spaghetti sauce, as barbecue sauce.

In fact, most sauces are tomato-based. And most sauces have it in for your couch.

And it’s not just their disguises that make people forget they are tomatoes.  It’s how they find their way into the very foods people are most likely to eat on their couches. 

Consider the Superbowl. What is are the foods that people eat the most  while watching the Superbowl?  Wings!  More specifically, wings smothered in tomato based sauces of various flavors.
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If it was just the Superbowl, I suppose that couches might be more forgiving. But the same scene is played out every week on a smaller scale whenever there is a football game.  Or a hockey game.  Or a baseball or basketball or soccer or golf game.

And let’s add one more dimension to this.  During a game, people get rowdy.  They jump up and cheer or swear or egg on their favorite players.  In other words, tomatoes sneak into the very situation most prone to being spilled all over the couch, not to mention the coffee table, the carpet and the pet. 

  Well, maybe not golf.

 People don’t tend to eat dry bread or plain noodles at game time.  That would be too easy on the poor couch.

Berries.  Berries are vicious strainers.  Strawberries and raspberries are next to impossible to wash out of fabric.  Cherries are even worse. The thing about berries is that they are sneaky, but in a different way than tomatoes.  Rather than disguising themselves, they proudly proclaim their identities.

But they are small and round, so they are easy to drop, can easily roll under a person and are often overlooked.  The first time you realize that a berry went AWOL is after having crushed it and ground it into the couch under your own shifting weight.

Red wine. Technically, we are still doing berries, but this is the sneaky side of the berry family.  You see, grapes are technically berries, but notice how the red ones stain worse than the white or even the rosée. 

However, in liquid form, people forget they are grapes.  Have you ever heard anybody say “Blame it on the grapes”?  No.  Blame it on the wine.

Red wine is sneaky in another way.  It is infused with alcohol.  And alcohol loosens people up, so that they are less likely to just sit there and more likely to laugh and wave their arms and even get up and walk around and knock things over.  And spill their wine!
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We know how people get animated during the big game and end up knocking things over.  Imagine the couch massacre that would occur if people drank wine while watching the Superbowl.

Lipstick.  While lipstick comes in many different shades, almost all of those shades are red.  And have you ever tried to get lipstick out of a couch?  The only glimmer of hope for couchkind is that most ladies take out their lipstick in the washroom.  Lipstick spills are much less common than red wine spills or wings disasters. 

And nobody actually kisses their couch … unless they have had way too much of that red wine.  But Chem-Dry has seen it all, and they have seen  kisses left behind from what must have been a very exciting party.

Blood.  Yes, blood is red and blood stains.  And since you can’t just run your couch through the washing machine, a blood stain is a pain.  Fortunately, blood is fairly rare, since people don’t spill as easily as bowls of wings or glasses of wine. 

But people can get cut and noses can get punched… What?  Did you think that everybody at a Superbowl party is cheering for the same team?  And sometime, people get punched by accident, just from the shear exuberance of arms flying all over the place or from the frustration of not being able to punch the ref on the TV screen.

Still, blood probably doesn’t stain as badly as tomatoes or berries, so perhaps the most couch-friendly guest to invite over to watch the game would be a vampire.  

Or you could just throw caution to the wind and let the couch worry about its own problems.  Pass the wine and wings, please.

Solomon Epstein is a sarcastic son of a – oops, can’t write that word in my biography.  Suffice to say that after reading this, you should probably go and wash your eyes out.

Twenty Fourward - March Box

Twenty Fourward is inspired by art, design, and the power of culture to make a social impact. It is a lifestyle and culture based brand defying commercial trends. It is their intention to provide a platform for design driven brands to spotlight their products and creative abilities while being able to get it in the hands of those that value and appreciate the effort behind each and every design. The artists behind each brand serve as an inspiration to our generation and are brought together in a larger collaboration of good and creative wave lengths. At the center of this vision is a social movement of art, culture, and lifestyle. Incorporating a different charity each month allows all Twenty Fourward members to get involved and discover the power of openhanded giving while simultaneously representing their lifestyle. Together, we can pay it fourward.
I got the March Box, and the tee is awesome! I really really like it! The artists is Josh Barnes of San Juan Capistrano, CA. Josh is the March designer and has chosen Stoked.org as his charity of the month.They help under-served youth through action sports culture. They believe that action sports can accelerate youth development and teach life skills to close the opportunity gap.

Check it all out at Twenty Fourward on Facebook, as well as Twenty Fourward on Twitter.


Tecate Light

Snow seems to be the word of the season, and it is supposed to be spring!! With so many snow days courtesy of the polar vortex you might be wondering what to do when it’s freezing outside, still. Well, whether you’re watching the game, playing in the snow, or having a little rendezvous with the gang, accompany your snow adventures with Tecate Light. Why? Well, because beer goes with everything, and unlike a regular light beer, Tecate Light offers bold flavor. Tecate Light, originally from Mexico, is a unique light beer that might just take you by surprise! Its light golden appearance fills you up with crisp flavor will be the perfect addition to all your plans.
 
 

Iesodo DVDs

Iesodo (Yay-Sa-Doe) is a wise dove who lives with his feathered friends in a Cypress Tree on the shores of a vast lake (or as we know it, the Sea of Galilee). These birds are an unlikely group of friends, and though they have their differences, they have one thing in common: since they met Iesodo, their lives have never been the same. Now they're out to spread his message of hope to the entire bird world!

There are 3 DVDs - Believe, Love, and Faith. I received the Love DVD and the Faith DVD. Callan loves these shows! I love how it is educational but also a really great cartoon!
Love Episodes:
“Birds of a Feather, Fish Together” - The wedding of Freddie and Fiona finch is headed for disaster! Iesodo steps in to calm everyone’s ruffled feathers and make the event a success.
“Love Your Enemies” - Zack, the tax collector, doesn’t play by the rules. Iesodo shows the flock that treating those who are mean to you with kindness really does make a big difference.
Faith Episodes:
“Miracles are Everywhere” - A big event is happening! Thousands of birds from all over the world have gathered to meet Iesodo, but food is scarce and the flocks are getting hungry. Iesodo provides in a way no one could have expected.
“The Wind and the Rain” - The flock is soaring through the sky on their way back to the Cypress Tree when a sudden storm approaches out of nowhere! Trapped at sea and frightened, they learn that when you have faith, anything is possible.

Check it all out at Iesodo on Facebook, as well as Iesodo on Twitter.
 
 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Weekly Wrap-Up 3/29

This past week has just flown by. Not sure why. We really were bums last Sunday and Monday. Callan does not go to school up here on Monday's, so they always have a 3-day weekend. Tuesday Callan started his school week, as well as a pretty good cough and cold that seems to be lingering. Ugh.
Wednesday after school Callan's Grandpa & Grandma K came to pick him up, and they headed into Bemidji for the Circus! He even got to ride the elephant! So cool! He had way too much fun and was soooo sleepy when he got home. Friday night Callan went to a sleepover at a friends house, and Jason and I went out with some of our friends for some adult drinks! Now, it is Saturday. Callan had a friend over most of the day, and then it was a pretty lazy afternoon. I don't think he is feeling quite himself yet. The coughing is terrible. So we just plan and relax around here, and hopefully not get snowed in here in Minnesota! Happy Weekend!

Wow Water #Giveaway - 3 Winners

Remember my recent post about Wow Water and how much we loved it! Well now is your chance to try it and love it as well! Good luck!
 

Magic Murals

Wall murals that are simply magic! MagicMurals.com provides thousands of beautiful wall murals that are easy to install and at the highest quality available. Better murals and better service – that is their promise. At Magic Murals you’ll find thousands of beautiful wall murals, but what sets them apart isn’t just the selection, it’s the commitment to providing the highest quality murals available anywhere, and service that’s responsive and caring.
All of the wall murals are available in our QuikStik movable self-adhesive vinyl and our popular UltraStik pre-pasted, water activated wallpaper. Quite simply, the wall murals are the easiest to install and highest quality available, they guarantee it.

This post was created in partnership with eAccountable. All opinions are my own.

Awesome Hair Finds

Esha Natural line from Esha Girl - Unruly hair and frizz don’t stand a chance when indulging in this terrific collection. It’s a one-stop s...