Review and Giveaway: The Cream Perfume Company

I use A LOT of hand lotion.

A LOT.

Between washing my hands so much with handling the goats and chickens and hand washing my dishes since I don't have my dishwasher yet my hands see a lot of water they are dried out. Not to mention that Montana is not known for its humidity levels. And it's winter now and C.O.L.D.

I wanted to switch to all natural products because it's better for me. There are just too many nasty chemicals in many of the lotions out there and so I came to find The Cream Perfume Company. I am SO VERY HAPPY that I did.

Mary sent me a lovely array of products to review:

My hands thank her.
My body thanks her.
My nose thanks her 'cause I smell so much better than male goat.
My husband thanks her 'cause I smell so much better than male goat.
(male goat is NOT the best smell in the world - especially male goat when he is trying to attract a doe)

But onward.  I tried the three body lotions; Lavender, Rose and Coconut Vanilla. Mmmmm, it is so very hard for me to pick a favorite!  The lavender is a true lavender; not perfumey and ending with that touch of mint that real lavender provides.  The rose is not cloying; it is sweet and smells like walking in a garden at twilight. The coconut vanilla is rich and tropical. If I HAD to choose it would be lavender but I do love them all.

The site says it best:
Additionally, our perfumed body moisturizers are 100% vegan, wheat and gluten free, contain no glycol, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, synthetic additives or synthetic fragrances.
We look for the world's best ingredients to luxuriously hydrate and repair your skin combined with unique fragrances to simply delight your senses. We focus on environmentally friendly packaging and overall eco-value. We are The Cream Perfume Company and simply make better scents, naturally!

 I also received the company's Solid Perfume in several fragrances. Oh my heavens! The scents are true and last a long, long time. My favorite here was the Ylang Ylang. But as you can see there are many choices to suit many moods. The perfume is packaged in eco friendly "nuts" (aren't they the cutest things?) of sustainable wood. A great gift choice; eco-friendly, delightful perfume in a "nut". How perfect!

I am thrilled with my products from The Cream Perfume Company and I know you will be too - What?! You?! Yes, THREE lucky winners will get their choice from the company's line!

How. Cool. Is. That?

How do you win? It's easy, of course!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to The Cream Perfume Company and tell me what you would pick if you won. Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you if you do win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and The Cream Perfume Co. are giving away your choice- Body Lotion/Solid Perfume at @http://tinyurl.com/ygs5unl #giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and The Cream Perfume Company (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
8. Tell me something else about The Cream Perfume Company that I didn't mention in the post.


 All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on December 15th when I will go to Random.org to choose the winners. They will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose new ones.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure:  I received a box of samples from The Cream Perfume Company for hosting this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the samples. 

Earn Your Masters in Teaching Online? Let USC School You

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you looking for a career change?
Do you just want to better yourself?
Did you always want to teach?
Do you really want to go back to school but feel you live too far away or just can't fit it into your schedule?

Well! A world of opportunities are now wide open for you thanks to USC Rossier School of Education at USC. Current educators and people looking to possibly change careers can check out the program information and learn just how easy it is to pursue an online Master's program.

Think you don't have the time or it will take you too long - there is an accelerated program that will let you finish in 12 months. How cool is that?  Does the cost concern you? You might be eligible for their tuition reimbursement program that was created especially for Masters of Teaching students. Running out of excuses, aren't you?

USC is internationally known and has been ranked #22 in the United States, and #9 among all private universities by US News and World Report. By joining the Trojan online team you will have all perks of traditional students including full USC student status and benefits, participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association memberships. But you can attend your classes in your pajamas! Since this is a teaching program you will also be provided with field based opportunities in your local area - for this I would dress more professionally. Just a tip!

So what do you have to lose? It doesn't cost a thing to check out the program information. I know you're curious. Further education is always a good thing and good teachers are ALWAYS needed.

GIVEAWAY WINNER - Azuri Pashmina Scarf

Yay for winners! I am so excited to announce the winner of the beautiful Azuri Pashmina Scarf!


Drum Roll Please!!!!


True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 32 

And the winner is:


Sarah!!!!!


Yay!!!


An email has been sent and Sarah has 48 hours to get back to me or I will pick a new winner.
Thanks to everyone who entered and a big thanks to Nimli.com for the great prize!

Please Vote :)

I have just learned that one of my pieces is in the Etsy Voter this week.  This is a first for me and it's rather exciting. The theme this week is "What is your favorite Lux Gift" and my friend Natalie from Humblebea (she makes the cutest things - you should check out her shop!) nominated my Eastern Spice Necklace Set

So, I ask if you have an Etsy account and a minute to please vote for me.
Thank you.

Book Review and Giveaway - Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory

From the Author's webpage:
Travel back in time with a medieval knight for a dramatic tale of romance and adventure. Follow our warrior-knight as he meets the heroine—and faces his toughest battle yet. Sparks fly but danger follows, for this is a woman who is willing to spy for a prince, lure an enemy to save a friend, or use that dagger she has hidden under her pillow.
A cast of medieval characters—wily royals, charismatic rebels, unlikely spies, and traitorous relatives—raise the stakes for our knight and his lady. Together, they must face the dangers… and discover the true meaning of love, honor, and loyalty.

My Opinion:

This is the second in the author's All the King's Men series but I didn't need to have read the first book to enjoy the second. I will be honest - I had the flu last week and couldn't do much for three days so I haven't quite finished this book. I am about half way through. I AM enjoying it though. It's a light and easy read; just what I like in between my heavier books. I tend to switch off from weightier books and then lighter books. As with most historical romances the female heroine is strong minded and not typical to the time but that is what makes these books so much fun. She does bow to her father's wishes early but finds ways to butt at the men directing her life after that.

I am sure there will be a happy ending - it wouldn't be a romance without one and that is part of the fun. That and the boy meets girl, boy and girl keep away from each other, boy and girl keep getting thrown together until they ultimately realize they were meant to be.  So Boy and Girl have met but are still struggling but I know TRUE LOVE will out.  As I said, I am enjoying the book; it's a time period I like - Henry V - and right now we are in France. I suspect I will pick up the first one and look forward to the next in the series.

Knight of Pleasure is available at Amazon.com

Now for the giveaway!  Thanks to Anna at Hachette I have 5 copies of Knight of Pleasure to give away. How cool is that?  So how do you win?  Read on, read on....

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Margaret Mallory's website  and tell me the name of the next book in the series. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.




EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee is giving away 5 COPIES of Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory @http://tinyurl.com/yfqqftc
#giveaway

3.Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

8. Follow Margaret Mallory on Twitter  

9. Become a fan of Margaret Mallory on Facebook

All entries have to be in by 9PM MST on December 14th when I will go to Random.org to choose the 5 winners. They will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose new winners.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure:  I received a gratis copy of Knight of Pleasure from Hachette Books. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the book. 

Boulder Opal

I love boulder opal. It is just so gorgeous. And each stone is unique. I had fun playing with boulder opal this weekend! Yes! I was able to make some new jewelry. Hooray for me! Not everything is listed yet, but will be by tomorrow afternoon. And remember - everything is 30% off through midnight tomorrow and if you put "blog" in the notes to seller you get a bar of Pricilla's rich soap!

So here are my latest creations...at least the boulder opal designs.

A lovely, delicate necklace using tanzanite and freshwater pearls as accents.

This necklace uses a boulder opal ammonite with some brilliant fire at its center. I used some stunning mystic aquamarine hearts with messy wraps to accent.

Some simple earrings showcasing the beauty of the gemstone. They look like little globes, don't they?

Be sure to check out everything in the shop during this great sale!

GIVEAWAY - Your Dog Can be A LUCKY DOG!

I am so happy to offer you all a chance to win something for your canine friends! Marlene from Lucky Dog Treats Company has come to me to offer you all the chance to win your choice of Doggie Delights from her shop! How cool it that?

I will tell you I was surprised at the number of yummies available for the doggies out there; there are the delicious looking Benny's Big Dog Bagels

The uber cute Large McGregor's Greens

and many, many more. I think you should go check them out. That's right! In order to win your own - well your dog's own - spiffy, yummy treats you will have to do just that.  Here come the details!

The Prize:  An order of dog treats of your choice from Lucky Dog Treats Company

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Go to Lucky Dog Treats Company and tell which treats your doggie will love best. Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you if you win.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Lucky Dog Treats Co. are giving away Yummy Doggie Treats at @http://tinyurl.com/yjrhncp
#giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Lucky Dog Treats Company (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

8. Heart Lucky Dog Treats Company on Etsy. 
9. Follow Lucky Dog Treat Co. on Twitter.


All entries need to be in by 9PM MST December 10th when I will go to Random.org and pick a winner. He/she will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose another one.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure:  I will be - or I should say my cats will be - receiving an order of cat treats for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and are not effected by the receipt of the cat treats. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your turkey or tofurkey which ever you choose to eat. Me, I'm more for the potatoes and gravy. Mmmmm. I hope you all have a day full of family and fun.

Don't forget that starting tomorrow and running through Monday I have a big sale in my etsy shop!
30% off all sparkling pieces AND free shipping.

It's a great time to get yourself that piece of jewelry you've been coveting or to get a jump on your holiday shopping. So go on - check out the sparklers...it doesn't cost a thing to
just LOOK!

Coming Soon! Review of Golden Moon Tea

I am very happy to announce that I will soon have a review for you of several different teas from Golden Moon Tea including an oolong tea from their truly delicious sounding selection of teas.

I have been browsing the site and there are a wide variety of teas from which to choose. I know I am going to enjoy brewing my tea and letting you know all about it!

They even offer a Tea University with different links to why Golden Moon teas are different to how to brew your tea! There is a lot of information making it fun to learn about various teas and their properties. Cool, huh? Or hot, I guess depending on how you want to drink your tea. Heh heh.

So stay tuned....

Review and Giveway - Savespro.com Shopping Site - $20 Giftcard to Amazon.com

It's that time of year!
You are trying to get all of your shopping done and are running around like mad!
What if there were an easier way?
What if everything you needed were in one place and available at the click of a button?

My kind of shopping.

Savespro.com is just that kind of site. Full of lots of categories and loads of products with great prices.

I was able to go on a little shopping trip there and I chose this mighty cool Xylis Mini Food Chopper 'cause my food chopper had bit the big one and I was tired of chopping onions.

Isn't it pretty? My husband thinks it looks like R2-D2. *sigh* It does have a cool feature where you can shrink it down for storage and in that mode he might have a point, but onward.

I needed to chop some chocolate for brownies I was making for the firemen and now I didn't have to do it by hand - Woo Hoo!

Looks good, doesn't it?
Much easier than chopping it with a knife.

So now how can you go on your own little shopping trip? It's easy, but first the details.

THE PRIZE:

A $20.00 Gift Card to Amazon.com for ONE winner

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to Savespro.com and tell me what you might buy if you won.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway(one per day) - @BrokenTeepee and Savespro.com are giving away a $20 Amazon GC at @http://tinyurl.com/yz3nsh2 #giveaway

3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Savespro.com (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you. 
5. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Good for one entry per...

6. Put me on your blogroll and leave a link where I can find it.

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on December 9th when I will go to Random.org to pick the winner.  He/she will have 48hrs to get back to me or I will choose a new winner. Good luck!

Disclosure:  I received the Xylis Food Chopper at no charge for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions stated are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the food chopper. 

Book Review - Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

 

Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is a physician with twenty years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interest in baking and preventive health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients.

Zoë François, coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is passionate about food that is real, healthy, and always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking and pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry and is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.

The authors answer bread questions at their Web site: www.healthybreadinfive.com.


FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE:

From the authors of the groundbreaking Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day comes a new cookbook filled with quick and easy recipes for healthy bread Their first book was called "stupendous," "genius," and "the holy grail of bread making." Now, in their much-anticipated second book, Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François have taken their super-fast method and adapted it for the health-conscious baker, focusing on whole grains and other healthier ingredients.
The method is still quick and simple, producing professional-quality results with each warm, fragrant, hearty loaf. In just five minutes a day of active preparation time, you can create delectable, healthy treats such as 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Grain Garlic Knots with Parsley and Olive Oil, Black-and-White Braided Pumpernickel and Rye Loaf, Cherry Black Pepper Focaccia, Pumpkin Pie Brioche, Chocolate Tangerine Bars, and a variety of gluten-free breads. And many of the recipes are 100% whole grain.
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will show you that there is time enough for home-baked bread, and that it can be part of a healthy diet. Calling all bread lovers: Whether you are looking for more whole grains, watching your weight, trying to reduce your cholesterol, or just care about what goes into your body, this book is a must-have.

MY OPINION:

I am in bread heaven. Now I just need more space. *sigh*
I had bought the first book in this series the minute it came out because there is nothing I like more than bread hot out of the oven. Now I can have healthy bread hot out of the oven. Mmmmmmmm!

The main premise in this book is to keep a supply of dough always at hand in your refrigerator so you can have hot, fresh, yummy bread in minimal time. Isn't that BRILLIANT?! But I don't have a full sized refrigerator, I have the mini one that comes with the trailer so while I adore these recipes I'm a little stuck at the moment. It doesn't mean I still can't play, though, I just have to adapt a bit. In fact I am going to be adapting tomorrow when I make bread sticks and garlic knots to add to the breads I am taking to our friends for Thanksgiving dinner.

The recipes are well written and easy to follow with lots of good information on the different flours and grains you can add to help "health you up."

You know I am all about adding some more healthful elements to my diet these days as you have seen with my posts on the White Whole Wheat Flour - well this is the cookbook for anyone looking to do just that too! The book gives you a myriad of ways to take some of your favorite breads and make them much better for you with whole grain flours or the addition of nuts and seeds.

There are some lovely photos to help those who need to see a finished product. This is a wonderful concept and delightful, fun cookbook.