Wednesday, August 10, 2011

My First Giveaway!

 Thank you one and all for showing me some new love and following me!! In order to thank you, and in honor of some of my favorite people getting married, I'm giving away an amazing cookbook! Details can be found at the end!

Next week, my beautiful sister-in-law is getting married. I'm so honored to be a part of the wedding and to help her with the wedding prep. Weddings can be a beautiful family affair, and as families do, can bring out some drama. But that's the beauty of families, right? I always have such a blast with my party family - we call it a bit of a circus - 3 generations can get together and laugh and yell together... the last time we stayed up until 2 in the morning, woke up grandma, and she came down and partied with us, too! I'm glad that I can party with my husband's siblings and their spouses, too - we have a blast together! Also - all three siblings will be married within 3 years (about 18 months in between each) - so I'm sure my mother-in-law will be pleased to be done with them!

Next May, my high-school bestie-best friend will marry her "almost" high-school sweetheart, and man-partner of 7 years and I am SO insanely-crazy-excited - they have been going towards an "anti-wedding" with lots of eccentricities, which suits both of them, so I have to gauge myself and make sure I don't go all MOH-zilla on her ;-) I just have so much love for these two - I can never wait to see them and spend more time with them - always. We've had a long-distance friendship for 7 years, and I CAN'T WAIT to move closer to her (or her to me...).

AND - my college roommate, post-grad roommate, blogging mentor, and my best "cooking-buddy-Volcan-mind-meld-chesty-ape-scratch-might-be-married-if-we-were-lesbians" friend (don't you have one of those??) just (FINALLY) set her wedding date for next summer. I am, of course, INSANELY excited to be a part of this wedding. We will be obscene. We will be crazy. We will be... matrimonial? I dunno - take a bride, take a bridesmaid, do a chesty ape scratch. CRAZ-AY!!

There's so much love going on!! Everyone is getting their happily-ever-after! And it doesn't have to be a big formal affair (or even a wedding) for you to be blissfully happy forever and ever with your partner/spouse/friend - but it certainly doesn't hurt. I am definitely still feeling the love from my husband, as well. Which is good, since we've only been at this married business for about 18 months. 

Proof: we are thinking about moving when our lease is up in 2 months. And in the apartment business in this low economy, there is a fine line between "our availability isn't posted yet" to "oohhh, we just rented all of our units!!" and with school starting up, I have no time to be stuck in the second group. So I'm starting to look early! (Plus, I'm, like, an obsessive planner). I spent this last Saturday driving around town, looking at potential rentals with my mother-in-law, and scouring online with her, as well. All while the hubby was hard at work. And I left feeling TERRIBLY dissappointed and frustrated. Rent's going up, space is going down, and it really seems like every single place is set at a certain price bar, and with studios with 450 square feet starting (starting!!) at $950, I can't even stand it anymore. So I came home in a crummy mood, to say the least. And hubby didn't leave me alone - he tried to make me feel better and hang out with me. And it worked! But Sunday, I got some unfortunate news about a family member, and without going into too much detail, I was basically stressed with worry from Sunday AM until today when he was discharged. And after hearing about this and my terrible weekend? On his way home from work on Sunday, hubby surprised me with flowers! Beautiful lilies that the kittehs love to nom, so I took them to work and now they're stinking up the whole office :-) Good job, hubs!!

SO!! In honor of all the love and weddings, and my loving hubby, here's the giveaway!! The book is: Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook by two talented sisters Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. They started with a catering business and put together this amazing cookbook (it is one of my favorites, EVER!!) - it has wonderful recipes that serve just 2, more for a party or holiday - some easy, some complex - and even recipes that are broken down so you can share the kitchen (if you're into that sort of thing). Many recipes have beautiful photos, and it's smattered with great family stories. It's just a wonderful staple to start off a great cooking-foundation! Whether you're long-time-partners, newly-weds, or been married for decades, this is a great addition to your shelf!

To enter: leave me a comment telling me your favorite way that your spouse/partner/friend/significant other has ever surprised you with something little. (yes that ring was an amazing surprise... but what about something little?)
That's one entry. THEN:
  1. Like me on Facebook.
  2. Follow me here.
  3. Tell me that you do that.
**UPDATE: A winner has been selected!! Thank you all for entering and sharing your wonderful stories! The winner has been emailed! Thank you all, and congratulations!**


*Note: this is completely furnished out of pocket by myself, and is not an ad or anything. This just happens to be a favorite cookbook of mine... That's all. Also, the winner will be selected randomly via www.random.org*

19 comments:

  1. My grandma and grandpa used to send me special little treats from Harry & David each Christmas, usually yummy chocolate covered dried cherries, but sometimes petit fors and once (when my husband & I were living in frigid Montana) fresh orchids! After my grandparents both passed away, my sweet husband continued the tradition and got my my cherries from H & D for Christmas! A little thing, that means A LOT!!! :)

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  2. Hi! Thanks for the chance to win the cookbook--love Williams Sonoma! I am following you here, and "like" you on facebook! :) Keep up the good work!

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  3. Look at you all pro-blogger and all! Next thing I know, you'll be a featured guest at blogger conventions, and the Food Network!

    My favorite memory (and it is hard to choose one), is coming home on Valentine's Day to a beautiful carpet picnic in our living room that my DH prepared. So sweet and romantic and thoughtful and sexy and yummy and perfect. Kinda like my guy.

    ps - already following your everywhere you go. Wait, that sounds stalkerish...

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  4. Ben showed up at my apartment unannounced one weekend. We had agreed to take a weekend off from the incessant travel, but he made the trip anyway - and brought me flowers. How cool is he?

    I guess I'll keep him, esp now that we have the deposit down on the wedding venue. Geez. :)

    PS - Like Toni said - I already follow you everywhere :) XOXOXO

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  5. Let's See....

    It is really really hard to pick- but for all the reasons Tim has shown up with little surprises over the years, the best way was in the middle of his MBA program.
    Tim had been working his butt off getting his masters, and I had been stressing out with supporting him and working on growing my business. So what does my nerdy guy bring his super nerdy girl as a token of love and thanks? A book. He thought a little light reading (Olive Kitteridge) would be more appropriate for me than flowers... *swoon* he gets me!

    oh, and I am still trying to follow you to the West Coast. FB and Blogger will have to do for now...

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  6. i liked you on FB and am exciited to follow you on here! i luv cookbooks!!! my BF is wonderful i was very sick for a few yrs i spent 6mo in the hospital and that man if not everyday every other day would bring me flowers plants or a trinket of some sort to me! by the time i left my hospital room was so decorated it was amazingly beautiful it made my stay there feel homey and loved!!! ;)on here! i luv cookbooks!!! my BF is wonderful i was very sick for a few yrs i spent 6mo in the hospital and that man if not everyday every other day would bring me flowers plants or a trinket of some sort to me! by the time i left my hospital room was so decorated it was amazingly beautiful it made my stay there feel homey and loved!!! ;)

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  7. Thanks for the cookbook giveaway, the thing my husband gives me is an hour of time for myself :) I know that sounds strange, but at 54 we decided to adopt a 3 year old autistic boy :)We are blessed and love it but it is very tiring and sometimes you need a little time alone :)

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  8. Dusty was at harvest last summer and I was bummed I hadn't seen him in a month, plus it was the first day of school. He called me after work at 9:00pm to see how my day went and I was whining about missing him. I walked in the door and he was there in our apartment! He came home for a couple days because it rained and they couldn't cut and he wanted to surprise me!
    *I follow you on twitter and facebook too!

    Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks

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  9. I need a cookbook for cooking my DH of 20 years claims I can't cook at all so any hints and recipes would be welcome to both of us!
    I follow you on Facebook and the blog! Thanks for the entertainment.

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  10. One time my friend surprised me by making my favorite cake.

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  11. I liked you on face book tonight.
    And could use any help you can give on cooking, not my best, and you would think after 41 years of being married I would know how to good better then I do...lol
    Your sight looks wonderful, going to explore it more now..
    Thanks again.

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  12. I think one of the best memories I have involves my daughter. A few years back I was trying to teach her some basic cooking tips and to build her confidence in the kitchen. I have always said if you can follow a recipe, you can always cook something. Well one day that summer I arrived home from work and she had made an entire dinner by herself - one of the best gifts a mom could ask for!

    I like you on Facebook and I follow you here - thanks for the chance to win!

    ~Jill (luvcooking2@yahoo.com)

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  13. My husband will sneak greeting cards into my purse. They always make me smile:) I follow you on Facebook too!

    Everyday Mom's Meals
    www.everydaymomsmeals.blogspot.com

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  14. I've been married 15 years but my husband still loves everything I cook for him. His brother-in-law always comments that he should weigh three hundred pounds because of all that I cook. Still makes me proud to cook for my man.

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  15. My hubby is not very good at surprises, but last week I went to wash a load a towels to find that he already had :) That was a nice surprise.

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  16. I follow you !!!!! And I LOVE cookbooks !!!

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  17. i have u on fb....my ex used to leave me notes, my fav was left on the front door, a face peeking over wall with miss u on it..i dont have him anymore, but i still have that pic

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  18. My housemate makes 2 batches of cookies - one for wherever she is going and on that she leaves out on the counter with a note to consume.

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