Meet My Ninja Monkey

A Ninja Monkey, in geocaching terms, is someone who will climb anything to get to a cache.  Usually it's a tree, but occasionally it's a wall, a cliff or a fence.

As a mother, I feel it's my job to teach my daughter how to do the things she needs to know.  You know, the basics that they need to survive once they are out of the nest and on their own.  Things like....

Sewing, which Chablis hates....

Shopping - my version......

her version.....

Cleaning, which she will do except for the toilets.....

Ironing.. well.....sometimes......

Cooking - does macaroni and cheese from a box count as cooking???

I have to admit that none of the above are my strong suits.  I mean, if I have my choice of running a vacuum over the floors or tramping through the woods looking for a geocache, which do you think is going to win out?

All I can say is that this nut didn't fall far from the tree....

 LIGHTLOAD TOWEL GIVEAWAY IN PROGRESS!!

Lightload towels is sponsoring another fantastic giveaway of their amazing towels.  Click on this link to leave comments under the original giveaway post to be entered.  The giveaway runs thru Saturday August 4th and you have multiple chances to enter and win!

Light Load Towel Give Away

LIGHTLOAD TOWEL GIVEAWAY IN PROGRESS!!

I did a gear review on these babies last February and I liked them for a variety of reasons.  First off, they are super absorbent.  Second, they are really convenient because of their size.  You can toss one almost anywhere - a pocket, the glove compartment, on the boat, in a tackle box, in your backpack, baby bag, purse, a suitcase.  The possibilities are endless.

Are you intrigued?  Would you like to check them out for yourself?  Lightload has generously given me some samples to give away.  Starting today and running until next Saturday, August 4th at 5 pm central time, I'm having a giveaway and 4 lucky people are going to win a package of towels.

Click on this link to leave comments under the original giveaway post to be entered.  How would you like to win a pack?  Come on and enter - It could be you who wins.  It's super easy....

• Be a current follower of my blog or become a new follower.  Leave a comment telling me which one you are.
• Please leave another comment in the comments section below, telling me what you'd like to use Light Load Towels for.   That gives you a second chance to win.
• Go LIKE my Facebook page, and post a message on your timeline about the contest and then come back here and leave a separate comment telling me you did.  That gets you a third chance to win.  

I'd like to thank the folks over at Light Load Towels for sponsoring the giveaway.  I love their towels!  I think you will too.  Visit their website for more information.

August Lightload Towel Giveaway

The dog days of summer are just around the corner, which is hard to believe, because with the excessive heat we've been experiencing this June and July, I feel like the dogs have trampled me already!  One item that I keep with me at all times is a lightload towel.  Check it out.....

Hard to believe, but these compact little disc's open up to a generous 12" x 12" square.

I did a gear review on these babies last February and I liked them for a variety of reasons.  First off, they are super absorbent.  Second, they are really convenient because of their size.  You can toss one almost anywhere - a pocket, the glove compartment, on the boat, in a tackle box, in your backpack, baby bag, purse, a suitcase.  The possibilities are endless.

Lightload sent me one of their beach size towels to try and I've been using it at the lake all summer.  The beach towels measure a generous 36" x 60".  According to the Lightload website they come in a variety of colors.

I used mine mostly on the pontoon boat and to sit on in the kayak.  It was perfect to use for drying off after  impromptu leaps into the lake.  The beach size towel sells on the Lightload website for $ 9.95.

The Lightload towels come in a variety of sizes - the 12" x 12",  12" x 24" and of course, the full size beach towel.  

They are also extremely affordable - the 12" x 12" package of 2 is only $ 2.75.  Plus, you can get them custom designed with your own logo, which would be a fun idea for a give-away or a company promo.  They sell them on their website and in different stores around the country.


But the towels I really like the most are the 12" x 12" ones.  I tell you, I have used these towels for everything.  I personally keep them in my car, on the boat, in my backpack, my tackle box and in my kitchen.  We've used them to wash dishes, clean the boat, wipe our hands when fishing, sit on when the car seats are hot, in my kayak.   Chablis even keeps one in her purse and when I asked her for it, the first thing she did when we got back home was make me give her another one to stick back in her purse.  She's very possessive about her lightload towels.  They are great!

Are you intrigued?  Would you like to check them out for yourself?  Lightload has generously given me some samples to give away.  Starting today and running until next Saturday, August 4th at 5 pm central time, I'm having a giveaway and 4 lucky people are going to win a package of towels.

How would you like to win a pack?  I'm going to pick 4 winners - It could be you.  It's super easy....

• Be a current follower of my blog or become a new follower.  Leave a comment telling me which one you are.
• Please leave another comment in the comments section below, telling me what you'd like to use Light Load Towels for.   That gives you a second chance to win.
• Go LIKE my Facebook page, post a message on your timeline about the contest and then come back here and leave a separate comment telling me you did.  That gets you a third chance to win.  

I'd like to thank the folks over at Light Load Towels for sponsoring the giveaway.  I love their towels!  I think you will too.  Visit their website for more information.

Light Load Towel Give Away

Back in February I did a review on Light Load Towels.  You can go back and read all about it here.

I am a huge fan of these towels.  I use them for absolutely everything.  The towels come packaged 2 in a bag like this.....

The tiny disk's are perfect to toss into a beach bag, backpack, tackle box, suitcase, glove compartment, even your pocket.

Once you open them up, they are 12" x 12".  They are marvelous for camping, hiking, fishing, around the house.  They are super absorbent!

How would you like to win a pack?  I'm going to pick 3 winners - It could be you.  It's super easy....

• Be a current follower of my blog or become a new follower.  Leave a comment telling me which one you are.
• Please leave another comment in the comments section below, telling me what you'd like to use Light Load Towels for.   That gives you a second chance to win.
• Go LIKE my Facebook page and come back here and leave a separate comment telling me you did.  That gets you a third chance to win.

The give away runs until Tuesday, May 15th at 5:00 pm central time.

I'd like to thank the folks over at Light Load Towels for sponsoring the giveaway.  I love their towels!  Visit their website for more information.

Last Day for Miracle Gro Give Away

Today is the last day you can enter the Miracle Gro Give Away!

Click on this link here to go to my original post.  Leave a comment in the comments section there.  You must be a follower of my blog.

Contest is over at 5 pm today, central time.  Good luck!

Give Away - Miracle Grow

Don't forget to leave a comment under this link to be entered in the Miracle Grow Give away!

You must be a new or current follower of my blog and leave a comment in the comments section under the original post.

Good luck!

Give Away - Miracle Gro Expand 'n Go

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
The good folks over at Miracle Gro have contacted me and asked if I was interested in doing a give away of the Miracle Gro Expand 'n Go product.  Since I'm right in the middle of re-planting my disaster of a garden, I thought I'd give this product a try and offer a give away sample to one of my readers as well.


I've had a vegetable garden for years.  But last year it rained so darn much that I never got a chance to actually plant anything.  My garden space was sadly neglected, grew nothing but weeds, and I did absolutely nothing to supplement the soil.  Fast forward to this spring and thoughts of lucious tomatoes for bruschetta and home grown green and hot peppers for my homemade hot pepper jelly were dancing in my head.
One look at my garden plot and I was in a funk.  What to do?  Enter Miracle Gro Expand and Go,...

• Up to 3X the Flowers and Vegetables!* *versus native soil
• Significantly improves soil for multiple years
• Concentrated planting mix expands up to 3X when water is
added
• Feeds for up to 6 months
• All natural fibers hold up to 50% more water than basic potting
soil
Expand ‘n Gro™
Miracle Gro could not have come at a more appropriate time.  It's suposed to be easy to use, is formulated to give me big and beautiful veggies and is readily available on retailer shelves.  Because it’s a unique blend of Miracle‐Gro plant food and coconut coir fiber, a compact, lightweight, easy‐to‐carry and easy‐to‐store bag of Expand ‘n Gro can do everything a big, heavy bag of soil can do, only better. This concentrated planting mix expands up to 3 times when mixed with water, feeds plants for up to 6 months, makes native soil more workable and retains up to 50% more moisture than basic potting soil.   Why wouldn't I give it a try?

How would YOU like to give it a try as well?  If you follow my blog, just leave a comment on why you'd like to try this product.  If you don't follow my blog, become a new follower and leave me a note in the comments section.  I'd love you send you a sample of Miracle Gro Expand 'n Go.  We can compare notes on how it performs in the fall.  I'm already planning on having lots bruschetta and hot pepper jelly!


 Contest closes on Wednesday, April 25th at 5:00 pm central time

Clif Bar Giveaway Contest Winners

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway for some excellent Clif Bar Crunch.

I used the Random Number Generator Program to determine the winners and the winning comment numbers were:

11  Lytles
15  Bloodhounded
2    Della
16  GPC

If the 4 of you will email me your shipping information, I will forward it to Clif Bar so they can get your prize packages mailed out.  You have until 5 PM on Wednesday to get me your addresses.  Watch your in boxes for my email which will be sent out this morning.

Congrats to the winners and a big thank you to Clif Bar for hosting my first giveaway!!

The Original Stash

The Original Stash is the location of the very first geocache ever placed. Dave Ulmer placed a 5 gallon bucket in this location on May 3, 2000 and listed the GPS co-ordinates on the internet.  Taken from the History of Geocaching:  On May 3, one such enthusiast, Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, wanted to test the accuracy by hiding a navigational target in the woods. He called the idea the "Great American GPS Stash Hunt" and posted it in an internet GPS users' group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit.  The finder would then have to locate the container with only the use of his or her GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple: "Take some stuff, leave some stuff." 

On May 3rd he placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his "stash" with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav:

N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800

It was the stash that kicked off the craze of geocaching as we now know it.  GCGV0P 

The original cache container has since been damaged beyond repair, so in it's place there is now a commemorative plaque and an ammo box nearby that contains the logbook.  In the years since, over 5500 geocachers have made the pilgramage to Portland, Oregon to visit this historic location.  It's been listed almost 1000 times as a favorite geocache.  The cache page also has over 2800 photos attached of people documenting their visits.

Located just 5 hours away from Groundspeak Headquarters, this would make a fun road trip.  Maybe someday!

Don't forget about the current Clif Bar giveaway I have going on until Jan. 22, 2012.  Click the link and be sure to enter.

I'm Going on a Picnic!

I'm going on a picnic and I am going to do it in high style thanks to Tim & Robbin over at Appalachia & Beyond.   http://www.appalachiaandbeyond.com/2011/06/pic-nic-basket-winner.html

I was just telling my daughter that I thought it would be fun to get a picnic basket because I've never owned one.  Not 2 days later I saw a give-away posted over at Appalachia & Beyond for a picnic basket - can you believe that???  I think that picnic basket had my name on it from the start.

It's a beauty of a picnic basket all decked out in festive red, white and blue and stuffed with goodies - just in time for the 4th of July.  I cannot wait for my basket to arrive so I can head on over to my favorite place on Kentucky Lake - Cousin Hill. 

And since we spend so much time on the lake, as well as traveling all over on our geocaching excursions, I have a feeling this pic-a-nic basket is going to get a lot of use.

Hike on over to their site at http://www.appalachiaandbeyond.com/.   They have a wealth of information on East Tennessee and the surrounding areas, they do gear reviews, they have some stunning photos and they have an on-line store at:  http://astore.amazon.com/tandrbird-20.  

So thanks again to Tim & Robin for hosting such a great give-away.  I'll be posting pictures of my picnics soon!

Ms Bake-It Give -a-way Promotion

Ms. Bake-It is sponsoring a give away.  Please click on this link to jump over to her blog and check it out.
http://msbake-it.blogspot.com/2011/05/celebrate-good-times-come-on.html

When you do, she will introduce you to 2 more bloggers with fun blog-sites and FANTASTIC ETSY shops.  That's a sweet 3 for 1 deal if you ask me.  What are you waiting for?  Go check them out!