Giveaway Fun

I'm a big fan of blog giveaways. I've hosted a few on some of my other blogs, and I LOVE to enter them. I've decided that the easiest way to share all the giveaways I find is to post up a link list of all the ones I enter. So in the link up below are the ones I've entered today (may have missed some). Feel free to add your own!

I'll be doing a weekly giveaway link up, but haven't settled on a day yet. Let me know in the comments if there is a day of the week that you think is better for a link up, or that there is a lack of link up opportunities.

Until next time,

Totally Random D

Add your giveaway links below!

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm a winner again!

Yesterday I posted my tasty winnings, and today I'm posting another winning! This time it is a lovely bracelet.

Thanks to the lovely creator at The Ivy Cottage Creations, I am not the sparkly owner of a silver floral bangle bracelet. It's very cute, and very me. Which probably explains why I'm wearing it right now.

Thank you for my new bracelet!

I've won 2 other prizes that I'm waiting on the arrival of. I'm thinking it's about time to share the wealth. I'm going to start a weekly link up, I'm thinking for Saturdays, to link up all the giveaways I find, and any that anyone wants to add. I'm also posting them to one of my Pinterest boards (ID TotallyRandomD if you want to find me before I get the blog all updated). In the not too distant future, I'll start doing giveaways again too.

Good luck all you future winners!

I'm a winner!

What have I won?

I won a Dove Olive Oil Co. pack of goodies thanks to a giveaway on the Save More Spend Less blog. Well in my mail today, I  received a big box from Dove Olive Oil Co. I am always excited to win, and even more excited when it arrives! Happily, I tore into my box of goodies. Inside, carefully bubble wrapped I found:

200ml bottle of Orange-Vanilla White Balsalmic
200ml bottle of Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
200ml bottle of 18 yr Traditional Balsalmic
200ml bottle of Cilantro Roasted Onion Olive Oil
200ml bottle of Blueberry Balsalmic
375ml bottle of Arbequina Olive Oil
2 oz of Tuscan Blend spices
2 oz of Vanilla Sea Salt
And 2 bags of pasta

Now, I haven't tried them all yet, but I did pop open the blueberry balsalmic. I'm not usually a fan of blueberries, so I was curious. After opening up the foil seal thing, I twisted out the cork topper (which was fun) and smelled. There was a distinct, but not overpowering scent of blueberries, and it tasted really good.

I also cracked into one of the super cute spice tins, because the vanilla salt was too much of 2 curiosity to resist. It smells like it should be on a desert! I'm thinking it might be the perfect topper to some salted caramel candies, or something like that.

All in all, I'm a very happy winner and looking forward to trying out the pastas, oils, balsalmics and spices! Many thanks to Sara over at Dove Olive Oil Co., and to Heidi at Save More Spend Less.

Back to Blogging

Well I've been away from doing any blogging  for quite some time. There have been some pretty major changes in my life: I got divorced, moved, my son turned 18...then 19 (how did that happen?), I met someone new, I got laid off after 13 years, worked as a temp, and finally found a permanent position, and I closed my business since it was a partnership with my ex and I needed to break free completly.

So what now? Well, I'm a Jr. Application Developer, on the Salesforce.com platform, working in the telecommunications industry. I love what I do, even if it is frustrating at times. I learn something new every day and am lucky to work with some wonderful people.

I have broken ties with my ex, and am working hard to heal the mental and emotional damage from our 18 years together. But I'm getting there. I find reason to smile most every day, usually having something to do with the new love in my life.

My son is 19, starting college, and looking for work. I'm helping him work out a plan for his future, encouraging him along his path, and enabling him to be independent and self-sufficient. My only wish for him is to be happy and healthy. He wants to get into programming too, so we can learn together! I love how well we get along, and that he finds it easy to talk to me. It's hard on a kid when they feel they can't talk to their parents, and hard on a parent who feels their kid doesn't tell them things. I work hard to make sure there is an open line of communication and that he knows he can tell me anything.

My really big news is that I'm buying a house! After 2 years or working hard to clean up my credit (my ex wasn't so good with managing money, and spent it faster than I could make it), I have qualified, been approved, found a place, and I close on my new home on Monday! This is a huge step for me, and a real turning point in my life. I finally feel like I've got it together, and can start to rebuild my future.

So my last up in the air thing is my new business venture. I have been digitizing machine embroidery designs for sone time now, and have finally decided to start selling. Both my designs, and doing a little custom digitizing work. But I don't want to let go of my crafting side. I love to crochet, enjoy knitting and sewing, currently have a request for some cosplay costuming work, am enjoying upcycling a lot, and want to get back into miniatures. I don't know if the miniatures will be something I sell, or just something I do for me though.

As I cross this bridge into a new life for myself, I realize I can do anything, be anyone, that the sky is the limit, and I am only held back by the limits of my imagination.