Million Minute Family Challenge update

We've had a fun week of playing games!  We logged our minutes of play time with the Million Minute Family Game Challenge to bring our total to 4,437.  The goal of the Challenge is to have all the groups playing, adding minutes and as a whole reach 1 Million Minutes! The total is now up to  101,800.  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE about the Million Minute Challenge: It is never too late to join in!

Click to enter You've Been Sentenced Game!

What games have you played?  Here are "some" of the games that we have played this week:

• Crocodile Dentist
• You've Been Sentenced (CLICK TO ENTER GIVEAWAY)
• Dungeons and Dragons 
• Condottiere
• Speed Card Game (Card Games for Smart Kids)
• Bang
• Ticket To Ride
• Shadow's over Camelot
• Make and Break
• Are you a Werewolf?
• Combat Commander
• Memoir '44
• Candyland
• Buzz Word Bits

Link up! 

Crazy Breakfast Recipe with Seneca Onions

I love making this one dish breakfast meal.  It is so easy and tasty!  The last time I made it for my family I added Seneca Crisp Onions to the top of each serving!  This was the most perfect addition ever!   The Crisp Onions gave just the right amount of crunch to each bite.  They added a little bit of sweet taste to the meal, too.  The onions are all-natural and no trans fat! They are lightly seasoned with sea salt.  This gave my dish a little salty taste.  I don't normally add salt to this dish.  It really is a tasty dish!

Go check out my Cheesy Super Bowl dip, too!

Crazy Breakfast

1 pkg Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes with Onions
1 green pepper, sliced
1 lg onion sliced
1 lb bacon, cooked, broken into pieces
1 dozen eggs
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 pkg lunch meat, chopped
1/2 pkg pepperoni, chopped
1 T. butter
1 package Seneca Crisp Onions
1 c. cheese (optional)

Cook the bacon and and break into pieces.  You can also cut it into pieces and fry that way. It is quicker.  Drain half the fat and then add in peppers, potatoes and onions.  Let cook 20 mins, stirring a few times. Add in meat and let cook another few minutes.   Push the mixture toward the outside of your skilled, add butter and  all the eggs.  Scramble them up and when they are almost finished mix in with the rest of the dish.  Add the cheese at this time.  It will naturally melt.  Serve the food and top each serving with Seneca Crisp Onions.

Notes:
*If I don't have Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes with Onions on hand, I will make this with fresh potatoes that I shred myself as well as store purchased fresh/frozen shreds.

*This is a crazy dish because you can really add in whatever you want to it.  I make it differently depending on what I have on hand.  This is great to do when you have just a little bit of this and that in your fridge. The potatoes, onion and eggs are really the main ingredients.
*Other items that we have used over the years in this dish included cheese, sausage, leftover Thanksgiving turkey or ham, salsa and various peppers.

This is a dish I make a few times a month.  The addition of Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes with Onions and the Seneca Onions came from product the companies sent me to try and review.  The post and recipe contains my own tasty words an opinions.

$50 Cards Direct Giveaway

Are you ready for the up and coming holiday season??  Like it or not, Halloween is just  5 weeks away followed by all the other fall and winter holidays!  Are you ready?  Tis the season to get your brain in the holiday sprint and start planning your Holiday Cards and Christmas Cards.  

This year I'm going to CardsDirect to place an order of Photo Cards.  I LOVE sending and receiving photo cards.  I wish these type of cards were popular when my twins were born, 16 years ago, today in fact! That was so long ago that I can't remember if such cards were around.  They do carry a lot of traditional Baby Announcements that are beautiful and fresh!

From their site, CardsDirect offers the very best in personalized greeting cards for business and personal use.  Over 2,000 card designs are available in categories that include holiday, birthday, thank you, photo cards, baby shower invites, birth announcements and many more!  You receive free personalization and custom imprinted verse.  They offer an easy online ordering process and top quality cards with the best selection, customer service and pricing found anywhere!  

So are you ready to order?  What will you order first?  I'm going to try the photo cards first!  They make the best cards for our friends and family who live far away from us! They love opening the envelope to see smiling faces!  

Would you like to enter to win $50 to place your first order, too? Enter below!

GIVEAWAY

$50 for CardsDirect

To enter:  Leave a comment telling me what is your favorite type of card that you like to get in the mail! Leave your email address with this entry!

Bonus entries:
1) Follow my blog (all the ways on the right side bar- you choose, each one worth a separate entry) 5 entries per follow

2) Leave an appropriate comment on my post "Wake Up Lunch Time.." for 10 separate "WAKE UP BONUS ENTRIES"

3) Enter any of my giveaways- right side bar- leave comment on which you entered 10 separate entries

4) Tweet giveaway "Enter to win $50 for CardsDirect Giveaway http://goo.gl/8CtX " and follow @Susieqtpies 2 entries per tweet and follow

GIVEAWAY ends 10/15 (open to all)

This is a sponsored post through The Global Influence Blogger Campaign.  I was given a code to purchase cards for posting the giveaway.  The words expressed here are my own words and opinions. Good Luck!

Mastermind Animal Towers Game Giveaway

Check out this game giveaway by Tammy over at Autism Learning felt....

Mastermind Animal Towers Game Giveaway

BY TAMMY, ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2010

Most of the toy reviews I do are with my daughter. I try to do them with my son, but he doesn’t like to play most games. I received Mastermind Animal Towers from Pressman Toys to review and keep. I was able to review this with both of my kids. The game is for ages 6 and up, and takes 2 people to play.

The game comes with 2 towers to place your tiles in, tiles with pictures of animals, and small cards that match the animal tiles. There are three levels of play. You can use 4 tiles, 6 tiles, or 8 tiles to build your animal towers. Right now, we are using 4 tiles.

CLICK TO READ MORE OF HER REVIEW and enter her giveaway.   I would love to get this game for my friends son who has autism.  It would be great to have something just for him when he comes over to my house. 

While you are here at Scraps of Life...come check out my game review/giveaway and game link up today! 

A Friend in the Storm Kindle Giveaway

A Friend in the Storm 

Author Cheryl Ricker

(From Zondervan) This ninety-six page book combines heartfelt poetry with powerful quotes and Scripture verses to speak to the heart and soul of anyone going through difficult times. The beautiful fabric binding with foil stamping makes this the perfect gift for anyone seeking comfort.Description: 
Author Cheryl Ricker reaches into the depths of human suffering from the perspective of Christ speaking to the reader in soothing poetic words.
 
This elegant gift book will reach the heart and soul of anyone facing difficult circumstances, leading them through their suffering into the arms of a faithful loving God.
 
Each two-page spread includes a poem, as well as reflections written by Christian leaders, along with healing Scripture verses.
 
An elegant foil-stamped fabric binding makes this the perfect gift.

My Take on the Book:  What a beautiful book! This book is a present and a gift card in itself. Sometimes we want to give something or say something to someone in need but can't find the words on our own.  This book would be perfect for a best friend and even for someone you don't know really well. 
I love the flow of the book.  Keywords in the book, like "No" ", "Higher", "Insight", "Hold on" and "Freedom" include a beautiful poem related to that keyword.  Then the next page is a inspirational quote and scripture verse to continue the flow into the next keyword.  I'm sure that I'm not doing the book justice but it is filled with just the right words and scripture to get your mind off of your troubles and to put your focus on Christ. 
I'm thrilled to have a copy of this book.  I plan on using it to help give me the words to say when talking to a friend in need. 

Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway

The author, Cheryl Ricker is hosting a KINDLE Giveaway and Facebook Party! To enter, she wants you to share an original poem, story or snippet about a time when someone was a friend in your storm.  This goes so perfect with the theme of her book!  
To get the details and enter go visit  the Contest Page on Cheryl's website.   One person will be selected at random to win a KINDLE and five runner's up will receive an autographed copy of A Friend in the Storm! 
The winner will be announced at Cheryl's "A Friend in the Storm" Facebook Party on October 4th!
During the Facebook Party Cheryl will be chatting with party goers, hosting fun trivia contests, and giving away prizes every 10 minutes - including signed copies of A Friend in the Storm, and gift certificates to Amazon.com and Starbucks.com! Don't wait, go check it out, NOW! 

I am participating in a LitFuse Book Tour which included me getting a free copy of this book.  The words expressed in My Take on the Book are my own tasty words and opinions.  I'm also an Amazon Affiliate. 

Ugly As Sin by Toni Raiten-D'Antonio

Ugly As Sin: The Truth About How We Look and Finding Freedom from Self-Hatred

'I'm Ugly. You're Ugly. So What?'

    In Ugly as Sin Toni Raiten-D'Antonio, MSW, breaks the ultimate social taboo by insisting that she is ugly in the eyes of the world. More shocking still, she calls on the rest of us to own our ugliness too. But don't be insulted. There's a liberating purpose to her message, one that could finally set you free from the obsessing, self-doubt, and self-criticism that all of us participate in when we think about how we look.

    In this unprecedented examination of ugliness, its pervasiveness in our society, and the havoc it wreaks on our psyches, spirits, and bodies, Raiten-D'Antonio bravely confronts the problem of ugliness (including her own) and opens a dialogue that is provocative and inspiring. She reveals the roots of our perceptions of ugliness and beauty, tracing them through biology, art, religion, and culture and shows how we have been led to fear being defined as ugly ('ugliphobia'), and how this dread has become a universal problem. Comparing ourselves to impossible and ever-changing ideals of beauty, we endlessly cycle between efforts at self improvement and hopelessness.

 What you will learn from Ugly as Sin is that overcoming ugliphobia begins with understanding the origins of the problem and learning that what we call ugly is not frightening or alien but part of being human. With searing honesty and empathy, Raiten-D'Antonio gives us the courage to redefine ugliness according to our own standards, while providing tools for finding self-acceptance and living in a world in which ugliness seems to be the ultimate sin. (This is from the back cover)

My Take On the Book:  This  book is written as a self-help book for those women who see themselves as ugly. The author, Toni Raiten-D'Antonio, speaks candid on the subject because she considers herself to be the "U-Word" as well as everyone else!  How can this be so?  She explains that our society sets standards of beauty. Every time you turn around you are hearing about a new product, a new procedure, a new food to eat  that will make you look beautiful, no lumps, bumps, spots and wrinkle free! So who should read this book?

The "Ugly as Sin" phrase is a huge money maker for most businesses.  Sure companies don't come right out and call us that but it is implied by all the products, tips, rules, etc that we are expected to follow.  Even in our own families we find such talk of others and of ourselves.

I enjoyed reading this book.  In the long run, this book made me feel "less ugly" about myself because the author played all the ugly cards, she didn't hold anything back on the way we see and feel about ourself through our own eyes or as society sees us.   I appreciated her frankness. I"m not ready to hand the book over to my teens but I will think about her words when the "U word" comes up in our conversations.

GIVEAWAY

1 copy

To enter:  When you hear the phrase "Ugly As Sin" what do you think? Leave a comment and your email address.

Bonus entries: (Leave separate entries)
1) Follow my blog (right side bar):  Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs & RSS Feed (Get 5 entries for each follow)

2) Follow  @Susieqtpies and @TLCBookTours on Twitter. (1 entry for each follow)

3) Tweet the giveaway "Who you calling "Ugly As Sin" Book Giveaway http://goo.gl/4bNH " leave links (2 entries per tweet, unlimited)


4)10 bonus entries IF you go read this post, "Wake up Lunch Time with Rice Krispie Treats" and leave an appropriate comment. Claim the "Ugly As Sin Bonus Entry"

Giveaway ends October 10th (USA/Canada)
Thanks to HCI for providing a review copy of the book for my participate in the @TLCBookTours.  I'm an Amazon Affiliate. 

Check out Toni Raiten-D'Antonio on Facebook and tell her Susieqtpies Scraps of Life sent you!

Free Avocado Coupon and Recipes

We love avocados! My husband and I love guacamole!  Over the years my girls would try avocados but never acquired a taste until about 1 1/2 years ago when we went to Aruba.  For some reason the avocado bug kicked in and they all ate and ate them on that trip!   I've found though that they prefer just cut up avocado slices sprinkled with lemon juice and salt.

I was excited to find a coupon for a free avocado today on Facebook! I'm not sure how long it will last so click and see if it is still available!  You have to LIKE The Amazing Avocado page to be able to print the coupon!

Here are a few ways that we love eating Avocados:
Mexican Tortilla Soup

Quick and Easy Fajitas

Inside out Tacos

Avocado Relish

How do you like your Avocado???