March Towards Organization

 Woo hoo!
It's day one of my March Towards Organization and I am going to start it off with an organizing bible.
That's right.
A book to help us all get things in order.
I will be using snippets from it throughout the first two weeks of the month. (Then I have another great series of books.)
So let's start off with  

THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ORGANIZING YOUR LIFE!

It's a great book chock full of tips for getting rid of the clutter in all the rooms of your house.
Just like I am trying to do this month.
What a coincidence :0


This first week we are going to concentrate on the kitchen! My favorite room of the house.
Each day I will have an organizing tip for the room of the house we are featuring. There will be reviews and giveaways too!  So without further ado here is today's tip:


From the Idiot's Guide to Organizing Your Life:


      • Before you start moving stuff around in your kitchen or giving away half your appliances, first take an inventory of where you are with regard to food and decide what matters to you about the daily rituals that surround putting healthful, pleasing meals on the table.


I like that! It's important to know WHAT you want to cook and HOW you want to cook it before you can begin to get a handle on organizing your kitchen!


And what is even better than one tip from The Idiot's Guide To Organizing Your Life?

THE WHOLE BOOK!!!

That's right! I have a copy to give away to one lucky US reader!(No PO Boxes)


Here is a bit about the book:

Today’s fast-paced society has become increasingly complex.  The everyday difficulties navigating through life have been further complicated by economic woes. It’s crucial to find ways to increase productivity and simplify at home and at work, and the best way to stay sane is to get organized.

In her fifth edition of The Complete Idiot’s Guide^® to Organizing Your Life, Georgene Lockwood shows readers:

·         Being organized helps to get through the toughest times, gives a secure platform to face life’s challenges, and ultimately helps to live a happier, more peaceful life.

·         Green aspects of organizing, - getting organized in the electronic age and new products to get organized.

·         Up-to-date information, including new resources, for people with clutter disorders.

About the author:

Georgene Lockwood (Prescott, AZ) a self-confessed paper-holic, understands firsthand the challenges of getting and keeping organized. She has spent years researching the psychology underlying organization challenges and has gone through her own struggle to learn the skills and adopt new habits in order to create a more peaceful, harmonious life. She has written on a variety of topics in her 30-year career, including beading, simple living, Victorian weddings, and auto racing. She also has a jewelry-design business and is active in several community organizations.

 Woo hoo!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organizing Your Life is available at Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now how do you win? It's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to the A Guide for Everything Blog and tell me your favorite tip from the Organizing post. Be sure to leave me 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) - March Towards Organization@BrokenTeepee win The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organization@http://tinyurl.com/ygvh59u #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 @IdiotsGuides on twitter
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. ( Good for 5 entries so leave 5 comments)

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
8. Join my networked blogs - the widget is off to the right.
9. Become my friend on facebook

10. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you.

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on March 15th when I will go to Random.org to choose the winner. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.

Good luck everyone! 

 

Disclosure:  I received a gratis copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organizing Your Life. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

 

Please Join Broken Teepee for MARCH TOWARDS ORGANIZATION

That's right!
We are going to get organized.
I have a month long series of posts full of tips and great giveaways to help you (and me) get organized.
I want to make sure that when I move into my new house I do it neatly.
And keep it that way!

Each week I will focus on a different room of the house starting with my favorite room, THE KITCHEN.

I have reviews with some giveaways of great products all month long from:

Mabel's Labels
Post It Notes
Rubbermaid
Complete Idiot's Guides
3M
ShoesUnder
Wonderhanger
Cleverly Gifted
Patty Kreamer - Bye Bye Clutter
Hangadoo
The Core Cable Organizer
Soft Scrub
CSN Stores

So it's going to be a fantastic month full of useful information and great ideas.

There will also be my regualar supply of book reviews and giveaways - so March is going to be fun and busy. And with any luck I will get to move into the yurt!

Won't that be the best news of all?!

Summer is Coming and That Means Garden Time!

It has been unseasonably warm around these parts the last few weeks. I'm talking afternoons in the mid 50ies. And sunny to boot. This is just not what we are used to up here in Montana in the winter. Mind you, I am not complaining but I am waiting for the shoe to drop or more accurately for the snow to fall. I have to admit, though, that this stream of warm weather has me thinking about summer. Summer thoughts tend to have me focused on the garden because I do spend most of my summer processing the harvest.

I know that the hubby is having garden thoughts as well but he knows it is much too soon to think about planting in these parts. But he is a smart man and that is why he invested in a garden greenhouse. It's a cute little structure and he can start his seedlings in the basement and then bring them outside on the warmer, sunny days and let them enjoy a bit of the outside even though it's not quite time for them to feel their roots in the soil. Ours looks a bit like this one; ours is about half the size but it does have the heat sensitive windows which is a really cool feature...

 

It's not huge but it serves our purposes just fine. And I think it adds to the character around here.

I suppose that technically it is a hobby greenhouse and not a GREENHOUSE but with the amount of food we produce around this place I am not going to parse words. We have had the garden at full strength for two years now and I have not had to buy a vegetable - excepting some celery for stock and garlic - for that length of time. We tried planting garlic but the pocket gophers have eaten it both years. We are not giving up, though! The hubby has some ideas for this year. We go through A LOT of garlic! 

I suppose he wouldn't mind a larger greenhouse...he could expand he early planting then. I have been searching around and saw this Riga Greenhouse and thought it might intrigue him.  What do you think?

I can only imagine what he could grow in there. I also suspect it would be very warm in there.
Hmmmmm!
We all know how much I like to be warm.

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post for Outdora.com

Giveaway Winner: The Mayo Clinic Diet Book and Journal

It's a weekend full of winners!
Tonight I went to Random.org to pick the winner for The Mayo Clinic Diet Book and Journal...

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 38 





and the lucky commenter is:


CallMeKayla!!!!!


Yay!
I will send an email and Kayla will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
Many thanks to FSB Media for sponsoring this giveaway.


Remember, The Mayo Clinic Diet Book and Journal are available on Amazon.com

A Giveaway from Laughing Duck Farm

Those Laughing Ducks know what they are doing down there in Texas!
They are a very self sufficient bunch of fowl.
So they want to help eveyone be self sufficient too!

They are giving away a copy of this really cool book:

It's full of recipes for canning and putting up food so you know I want it...so as much as I want you all to go over and enter.
BACK OFF!
heh

Nah, you know I don't mean it. Head on over and take a look around The Laughing Duck Farm. It's a fun place to visit. It's full of goats, sheep, donkeys and of course, ducks.

Giveaway Winners: Corked, A Memoir

Yay! Time to announce winners!
OK, I'm a little late.
But still, here they are are in all of their random glory:

54
28
3
19
35

And the comments belong to:

Grand Pooba
Donna C.
Teresa
Dina
Scoop

So thanks to The Hachette Book Group they will soon be reading Corked!
Yay!

For the rest of you - thanks for entering and
Corked, A Memoir is available at Amazon.com

Giveaway: The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Peatro

From the Publisher's Website:

As San Francisco's most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching--waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city's most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it's the perfect murder. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home.

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed--a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women's Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built? The exhilarating new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, The 8th Confession serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revelations as only James Patterson can. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

About the Authors:

James Patterson published his first thriller in 1976 and since then has become one of the best-known and bestselling writers of all time, with more than 160 million copies of his books sold worldwide. He is the author of the two most popular detective series of the past decade, featuring Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club, and he has written numerous other #1 bestsellers. He has won an Edgar Award--the mystery world's highest honor--and his novels Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider were made into feature films starring Morgan Freeman. His website, www.ReadKiddoRead.com, lists the very best books for kids--titles that kids will gobble up and ask for more. He lives in Florida.

Maxine Paetro is a novelist and journalist. She lives with her husband in New York.


Find more videos like this on The James Patterson Community

The 8th Confession is available at Amazon.com














Thanks to Valerie at The Hachette Book Group I have one copy of The Eight Confession to give away! But first some rules:

US and Canada only
No PO boxes

So how do you win? It's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Tell me if you have read any other books by James Patterson - if you have not tell me which book you would like to read. 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 and Hachette Books are giving away 1 copy of The 8th Confession @http://tinyurl.com/y9w83j5 #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. ( Good for 5 entries so leave 5 comments)

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
8. Join my networked blogs - the widget is off to the right.
9. Become my friend on facebook

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on March 12th when I will go to Random.org to choose the winner. He/she will have 48hrs to respond or I will choose a new winner.
Good luck!

Category: FICTION, SUSPENSE & THRILLERS

Format: TRADE PAPERBACK

Publish Date: 2/23/2010

Price: $14.99/$17.99

ISBN: 9780446561334

Pages: 384

Size: 5-1/4" x 8"

Guest Post: Muffin Recipe from The Mayo Clinic Diet Book

Only a couple of more days 'til I pick the winner of the Mayo Clinic Diet Book and Journal so to give you a taste of what you will find in the book here is a recipe for muffins.  Be sure to enter the giveaway HERE.

Morning Glory Muffins

By the weight-loss experts at Mayo Clinic and Donald Hensrud, M.D., M.P.H.
Authors of The Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight.

15 MINUTES PREPARATION TIME + 35 MINUTES COOKING TIME + MAKES 18 SMALL MUFFINS

1 c. all-purpose (plain) flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
¾ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
¾ c. egg substitute
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. chopped apples, unpeeled
½ c. raisins
¾ c. grated carrots
2 tbsp. chopped pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

3. In a bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to blend evenly.

4. In a separate bowl, add egg substitute, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Stir in apples, raisins and carrots. Add to the flour mixture and blend just until moistened but still slightly lumpy.

5. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and bake until springy to the touch, about 35 minutes.

6. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve.

PYRAMID SERVINGS:
Fruits	1
Carbohydrates	1
Fats	1

PER SERVING (1 MUFFIN)
Calories	170
Protein	3 g
Carbohydrate	25 g
Total Fat	7 g
Monounsaturated Fat	2 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Cholesterol	trace
Sodium	195 mg
Fiber	2 g

The above is an excerpt from the book The Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight., by the weight-loss experts at Mayo Clinic and Donald Hensrud, M.D., M.P.H. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.Reprinted from The Mayo Clinic Diet, © 2010 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Good Books (www.GoodBooks.com). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
About Donald Hensrud, M.D.
Donald Hensrud, M.D., M.P.H., is chair of the Division of Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine and a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. He is also an associate professor of preventive medicine and nutrition at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. A specialist in nutrition and weight management, Dr. Hensrud advises individuals on how to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. He conducts research in weight management, and he writes and lectures widely on nutrition-related topics. He helped publish two award-winning Mayo Clinic cookbooks.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy that the needs of the patient come first. Over 3,600 physicians and scientists and 50,000 allied staff work at Mayo, which has sites in Rochester, Minn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Collectively, Mayo Clinic treats more than 500,000 patients a year.

For more than 100 years, millions of people from all walks of life have found answers at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic works with many insurance companies, does not require a physician referral in most cases and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

For more information, please visit www.goodbooks.com/mayoclinicdiet.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is available at Amazon.com

Guest Post: From Nikki Stone, the Author of When Turtles Fly

Here is an article from the Author of "When Turtles Fly".
I will have a review of this book up in the next couple of days.

Without further ado...Ms. Nikki Stone:

I pushed the enormous rocking chair across the lime-green shag carpet. This would be the last piece of furniture I would need to complete my own Olympic podium. I had just watched Olympic Gymnastics Champion Nadia Comaneci stand on top of the real deal, and I wanted to see how it felt.

I slowly climbed onto the wobbly rocking chair, my pigtails swooshing back and forth. Occasionally a few hairs would catch on my eyelashes and I would pull the strands away from my face so I could continue on my mission. I calculated the chair's rhythm, carefully threw my leg over the back and slowly climbed up onto the lacquered old end table. I pushed myself to my feet and threw my fists toward the ceiling in victory. A huge smile broke across my freckled face as I imagined the crowds cheering around me and the camera bulbs going off left and right. I had my answer. It felt incredible! 

My mother and father came in from the family room to see what the commotion was. I beamed down at them and stated with confidence, "I'm going to win the 'lympics!"

Now, I think most parents would be a bit leery of giving their five-year-old daughter any genuine encouragement for this giant undertaking, especially seeing that, in all likelihood, she had a better chance of winning the lottery than the Olympics someday. But my parents never flinched. I never saw any reservation on their faces when I declared my goal.

My mom lifted me off the "podium," plopped me down on the plaid easy chair and said, "Well, then I guess it's time for me to teach you about the Turtle Effect."

At the time, this meant little more to me than a chance to potentially hit them up for a pet turtle at Dom's local pet store. But I realized that if I was going to turn those living room chairs and table into a real Olympic podium, I had to learn what this Turtle Effect really meant.

She explained to me that if I wanted to be successful, I needed to be soft on the inside, I had to have a hard shell, and I had to be willing to stick my neck out.

To have a soft inside, I would need a passion for my pursuits. To build a hard shell, I'd have to focus on the task at hand, completely commit to my goals, and develop the ability to overcome any adversity that was thrown my way. And in order to stick my neck out, I'd have to have confidence, take substantial risks, and be a team player in order to succeed. Those seven lessons were key in mastering the Turtle Effect.

As I grew and developed through my years in gymnastics, and eventually, aerial freestyle skiing, I found my mom's advice invaluable. But it wasn't just her words about the Turtle Effect that helped me to become an Olympic champion. It was putting them into action, and experiencing challenges and pitfalls that would eventually help me understand the true depth of their power. Later, I found that by explaining these ideas to others, though motivational speeches, I could help many individuals accomplish their goals.

Galvanized by the possibilities, I decided to create a book that would offer people many profound and amazing stories for motivation, as well as hands-on activities to help them make changes themselves. I sat down and put together a list of people whose lives I found to be truly inspiring, and who'd worked hard to reach the top of their "game". I included accomplished businessmen and women, athletes, politicians, celebrities, authors, Nobel Prize winners, musicians and philanthropists. In telling their stories, these individuals, many of whom I've come to know, all shared a part of the Turtle Effect that helped them find their own success. To continue the inspiration, I've included one more special bonus story online that you can view at www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.

Each story is followed by a daily activity that has proved successful at my coaching sessions in changing people's lives in a concrete way, exercises you can use to improve your own personal and professional life. They serve as hands-on tools to help you enhance and develop your passion, focus, commitment, ability to overcome adversity, risk taking, and team building. From my years of experience as an athlete, speaker and peak performance coach, and by studying the habits of many powerful individuals I've encountered, I've come up with highly effective steps to encourage advancement in any career. Each activity includes blank space for you to keep notes on your own transformation.

Whether I'm mentoring future Olympic medalists, motivating hotshot businesspeople, or coaching eager young professionals, I find the Turtle Effect works brilliantly to help people reach success.

It's never too late or too early to pursue your dreams, and you're never too successful to work toward new goals. So get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

Get ready to fly! 
The above is an excerpt from the book When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out by Nikki Stone. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2010 Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out

 
Author Bio
At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out, became America's first-ever Olympic champion in the sport of aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that, less than two years earlier, a chronic spinal injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing off a twelve-foot-tall snow jump that launches aerialists fifty feet into the air. She overcame the injury and went on to earn 35 World Cup medals, 11 World Cup titles, 4 national titles, 3 World Cup titles, a World Championship title, and membership in the Ski Hall of Fame. Nikki is also a magna cum laude graduate of Union College and a summa cum laude masters graduate of the University of Utah. Her aerial retirement is less than restful as she trains Olympic athletes and business professionals in speaking/media skills, coaches personal and professional development courses, hosts group skiing adventures, sits on five different charitable committees, and writes articles and columns for many magazines, newspapers, and websites. Nikki's career focus is now on traveling around the world working as a sought-after motivational speaker, sharing her secrets to success by inspiring her business audiences to "Stick their necks out." Every spare moment is spent with husband, Michael Spencer, and daughter, Zali, in Park City, Utah.

For more information, please visit www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.

Review: Growing Tree Toys Morphibians Gator

From the Growing Tree Toys Website:

From the depths of the sea, up comes the Kid Galaxy Toys Morphibians Gator Remote Control Toy – land and water fun all in one! The Morphibians Gator is the powerful, 4 wheel drive remote control car that looks like an alligator with a cool new metallic skin as it drives through ponds and pools, but this Morphibians Gator can drive onto land to “eat up” anything in its way! With a fully functional radio control, the Morphibians Gator Remote Control Toy now also features headlights that help light the way, making this remote control toy ready to perform anywhere. Get ready to drive this green gator machine wherever you can dream! Morphibians Gator from Kid Galaxy Toys operates at 27MHz. Requires 3 "AA" batteries and 2 "AAA" batteries, not included.

My Opinion:

On my! Now this is just the cutest toy! I have a rule with all of the toys I buy/shop for; they need to be educational toys or I don't buy them. Now you wouldn't think a remote control Morphibians Gator fills that bill would you? But it does!  That is one of the great things about all of the products on the Growing Tree Toys site; you are given the developmental benefits of each toy. For example, the Morphibians Gator helps in the areas of the physical, the spacial and the intrapersonal.  You can read all about them on the site. It's a great tool, along with the age delineations for helping to pick out the perfect toy.

It is a sturdy well made toy that will stand up to the enthusiasm of a child and did stand up to the enthusiasm of a 59 year old tester. Who says boys grow up.....and who says I have no children. Ah-hem.

My nephew will further test this product as he is of the appropriate age group not that my husband didn't enjoy himself...


Many thanks to Growing Tree Toys for the opportunity to see the child in my husband.

You can keep up with news from Growing Tree on their blog.
Plus they have a Deal of the Day that features a toy with a discount of 40 - 60% off. That's cool!


Disclosure:  I received a gratis Morphibians Gator toy from Growing Tree Toys for review. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free toy. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

The Happy Goats

I don't show too many photos of the goats over here because I think Pricilla does a pretty good job of letting everyone know what they are up to.

But not everyone reads Pricilla's blog so I thought I would share a short video of Mallory and Matthew on on one of their little forays about on the Farm.









They like bark.
A lot.
Piggie goats!

Who Wants Wrinkles?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dermajuv Skin Care Products. All opinions are 100% mine.



Other than those Shar Pei dogs I am not sure who exactly WANTS wrinkles.
OK - maybe elephants don't mind them either.
But me, I don't want wrinkles. I have to admit to having been fortunate in the skin genetics department. Add that to the fact that I never had much problem with acne and I was never one to lie out in the sun and I find myself at age 50 with very few wrinkles and most of them are from smiling too much.

But it is a time in my life when I should start doing something to keep things this way. I remember my mother always using cold cream at night. She would look like she had mayonnaise smeared all over her face but it must have done some good because her skin was always pretty good too.

Now of course there are so many exciting skin care products out there for women who are concerned about wrinkles. They are full of new ingredients that can help reduce lines and puffiness and can help the skin retain its youthful glow.  All without surgery. Plus you can use them in the comfort of your home in your snuggly robe.
THAT is my kind of  "work."
heh

One Silly Kitty

It seems a certain kitten thinks he can't be seen
if he gets in a bag
of boxes.
Heh.
Silly Sherpa!
He actually spent most of last night sleeping in this bag.

Or maybe he thinks he's a present.
Heh.

Where Do I Live?

Heh.
Of course I know WHERE I live.
But when I have guests coming to visit I need to give them directions to the yurt and it sure helps if I have a lovely Address Plaque up to greet them with the well, address of my home. We actually got a new house number in these parts to comply with the enhanced 911 system. It's ALWAYS good when the emergency services can find your house...

I think that this plaque would go very well with the style of the yurt, don't you?

It's not too fancy and yet it has just a bit of pizzazz; it's reflective! Always a good thing when you live on a dark road.

Now this is something I never would have thought of as a gift idea but it is so clever - and so personal.
Memorial Plaques!
No - not the cemetery kind! The kind you put on the side of a house to commemorate the day the owners moved in. How cool is that?! It's something they could take with them from house to house when you get down to it because it is not address specific. That makes this a gift that will stay with them for a lifetime.
Look at this one...

 Isn't that just the sweetest idea?
How many of your friends have something like this on their house? See?
That shows you how unique a gift it is!

Another easy way to show off your house pride is with a customized lawn marker. You can have your address on there or your name - whichever you need. Here is a great example...

With a marker like that you will know that your guests will never miss your house! Now, I live in a round house which makes it rather hard to miss anyway so I might think of a lawn marker for other uses.
Hmmm, I wonder if they could have it say, "Watch out for Attack Rooster" THAT is the kind of marker I need around here....

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post from Outdora.com

The Cabinets!

The installer arrived right on time this morning.
I can't say that I was bright eyed and bushy tailed but I was awake.
This is what the poor guy faced.

He soon had the cabinets positioned. He moved them without the drawers 'cause they were lighter that way.

Then they were all anchored down and I have the semblance of a kitchen!

The two small cabinets that embrace the stove are "special."

One has racks for my cookie sheets. The other has roll out drawers.

I just love the cherry wood. They are simple but stunning.

This is what I will see when I am working on my countertop.

And when I am washing the dishes.

Oh, woe is me ;)

Blog Tour and Book Review: Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

From the Publisher's Website:

Buying Time is a scandalous tale of blackmail, murder and betrayal, evoking John Grisham with a dash of Terry McMillan.
Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he’s about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems.

In Waverly’s new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there’s a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker’s fee for himself—in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.

The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General. When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson—who has some skeletons of his own to hide—are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.

Soon, a determined federal prosecutor is hot on Waverly’s trail. But when the prosecutor’s own life begins to unravel, she finds herself on the run—with Waverly at her side.

About the Author:

Corporate attorney Pamela Samuels Young has always abided by the philosophy that you create the change you want to see. Fed up with never seeing women or people of color depicted as savvy, hot shot attorneys in the legal thrillers she read, Pamela decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, Pamela accomplished her ambitious goal by rising at four in the morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing and even spending her vacation time glued to her laptop for ten or more hours a day.

The Essence magazine bestselling author now has four fast-paced legal thrillers to show for her efforts: Every Reasonable Doubt (BET Books, February 2006), In Firm Pursuit (Harlequin, January 2007), Murder on the Down Low (Goldman House Publishing, September 2008) and Buying Time (Goldman House Publishing, November 2009). New York Times bestselling author Sheldon Siegel described Buying Time, Pamela’s first stand-alone novel, as a “deftly plotted thriller that combines the best of Lisa Scottoline and Robert Crais.”

Pamela has achieved a successful writing career while working as Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for a large corporation in Southern California. Prior to that, she served as Employment Law Counsel for Raytheon Company and spent several years with the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers, LLP in Los Angeles. A former journalist, Pamela began her broadcasting career as a production assistant at WXYZ-TV in Detroit, where she was quickly promoted to news writer. To escape the chilly Detroit winters, she returned home to Los Angeles and worked at KCBS-TV as a news writer and associate producer.
Pamela has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from USC, a master’s degree in broadcasting from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received her law degree from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is the Fiction Expert for BizyMoms.com.

Pamela is a frequent speaker on the topics of discrimination law, diversity, writing and pursuing your passion. She is married and lives in the Los Angeles area. To contact Pamela or to read an excerpt of her books, visit www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com.

Buying Time is available at Amazon.com














My Opinion:

This was a delightful book. Well, as delightful as a suspense/murder mystery can be. You start out meeting Sloan Waverly, a lawyer about to get disbarred with a social climbing, greedy wife. He finds himself a new career in a questionable aspect of the insurance agency. Now he is rolling in money; his wife is happy, his father in law wants in and his clients are dying in very suspicious ways.

The plot is well developed and the ancillary characters are interesting and important to the story.  They are introduced well and not much is left hanging. There were twists and turns a plenty to keep you in a page turning fury. I would certainly look forward to another book by Ms. Samuels Young.

Disclosure:  I received a gratis copy of Buying Time from Pump up Your Books for review. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

More Yurtgress

Heh heh.

Actually these are just some photos I forgot to post when I wrote about the lighting we put in the yurt.
With the layout of the main room and the way the walls work we felt that our only option was track lighting. I am not a big fan of it but it does have its uses. In the living room we have a track on both sides; they will throw enough light to see and to read. We hope....

The bedroom is the only room that I'm not going somewhat modern. It will really have a softer feel to it. It does have a track lighting set for well, seeing in the dark but for reading in bed I found these really cool bedside lamps that look like twigs. 

I then found a coat rack that sort of matches to hang on the back of the door for our bathrobes.  It's not installed yet - nor is the door for that matter - so I don't have a photo yet.

All of the lights are energy star rated. This was very important to us.

2010 Homebuying Tax Credit

If you are looking to buy a house in 2010 the Home Buying Tax Credit has been extended.
Now I am no accountant so before you do anything you should of course, contact your lawyer or your accountant but from what I have read this a a pretty good thing.

Of course we miss out 'cause we bought our lot two years ago and it's a lot not a house. Oh well. But here is some basic information on what you can expect:

• First-time homebuyers, or those who have not owned in the last three years, can receive up to an $8,000 tax credit
• Homeowners who have lived in a current home consecutively for 5 of the past 8 years can receive up to a $6,500 tax credit
• There may be no future extensions, so all qualified homebuyers are urged to act and have a written, binding contract by April 30, 2010 (close by June 30, 2010)
• Income limits are now $125,000 for singles, $225,000 for married couples with a $20,000 phase-out of the credit for both.

There is also a credit available for people who have lived in their current house for 5 years and are looking to move into a new house be it a larger house to accommodate a growing family or a smaller house if all of the kids have moved on.

I can just imaging what I could do with $8,000.00. Man! That would certainly furnish my house in style. It's a funny thing facing your 29th year of marriage with, well, almost nothing. The move from the big house into the trailer was very liberating. It was so nice to travel light and get rid of so many things we didn't need but now I need almost everything. It's a shame they don't have showers for old women. heh heh

Any way - check out the Home Buying Tax Credit  .If you are buying a house any way you might as well take advantage of any money you can!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post from Coldwell Banker.

The Cabinets!

When you see this from the goats you know something is up.

They rarely stop what they are doing and all stare in the same direction.
This is what they saw...

My cabinets came just as promised!!!!!

The young man from BMCWest was very helpful and he and the hubby hauled them through the sliding doors.

It was a tight fit for the big corner cabinet but they did it!

We didn't unpack them all. We just checked a couple to make sure they were the correct style....

....and they were!
Aren't they gorgeous!

I just love them. The warm stain picks up the cherry tones in the beams of the ceiling. They are going to look great against the red walls.
This is the biggest one. It goes in the corner. I don't think I have this much storage total in the trailer. Well, you know....

The installers come tomorrow and the countertop guy will be here Wednesday to make the template for the Caesarstone.
Woo hoo!

I have to say that we have been so happy with the service we have received from BMCWest in Missoula. From the minute we walked in the door to now everything has gone so pleasantly. They have treated us like gold and this was not a huge cabinet order as you can see. We did shop around and we had less that stellar service at other places. These are very high quality cabinets with all plywood boxes and they are going to last a lifetime. They actually priced cheaper than a lessor quality cabinet at an uh, Big Box Store. So it truly pays to shop around and to check the local places.

These are the shelves that my hubby put together for me yesterday.

I just love them. They will give me lots of storage and they go with the whole "open" look of the yurt.
I am going to get baskets to go under the set on the right.

I will, of course, have photos of the cabinet install tomorrow. They are arriving at 7AM. OY!

The Apron Goddess Strikes Again!

Just look at that beauty!
And you can enter to win it!
That's right!
Just head on over to The Apron Goddesses for your chance(s)
It's easy.
And won't you look lovely strutting around your kitchen in that gorgeous apron?
Ha! YOU won't.
I WILL!
Bwahahahahaha!

Giveaway: The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock

From the Publisher's Website:

The new Americana romance from bestselling author Dorothy Garlock, this time set against the backdrop of WWII. Sophie Heller's family immigrated from Germany to Victory, a small town in Illinois, before WWII began. Now that the war has affected the town, the townspeople discriminate against Sophie and her family. When a train derails, it is an accident but the Heller family is blamed. Coming to Sophie's rescue is a teacher from the high school, and despite their cultural differences, a romance starts to bloom.

Learn more at DorothyGarlock.com

About the Author:

Dorothy Garlock is the author of over 50 novels that have sold over 15 million copies and are published in 15 languages. She lives in Iowa.

The Moon Looked Down is available at Amazon.com













Thanks to The Hachette Book Group I have 5 copies of this book to giveaway. How cool is that?

How do you win? It's easy, but first a couple of rules:

US and Canada only
No PO Boxes

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Leave me a comment with 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 and Hachette Books are giving away 5 copies of The Moon Looked Down @http://tinyurl.com/ykvlpul #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. ( Good for 5 entries so leave 5 comments)

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
8. Join my networked blogs - the widget is off to the right.
9. Become my friend on facebook





All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on March 8th when I will go to Random.org to choose the winners. They will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose new winners.  Good luck everyone.


Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post.

 

Category: FICTION, ROMANCE

Format: MASS MARKET

Publish Date: 3/1/2010

Price: $6.99/$8.99

ISBN: 9780446616089

Pages: 368

Size: 4-3/16" x 6-3/4"

Giveaway: Simple Green Naturals Cleaning Products

Someone is going to have a clean house!
And it's going to smell nice too!

I went to Random.org and he chose the winner for the Simple Green Naturals Cleaning Products.
Ta-da!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 21

And the winner is:

Alexis!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Alexis. I will send and email and she will have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a new winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered and a great big thank you to Simple Green for sponsoring the giveaway. Be sure and stay tuned for my third post about how great the Simple Green Naturals products are!

I cleaned my floors - oh yes I did!

Yurtgress

Heh heh. I guess that's what I am calling progress on the yurt.

The BIG news is that my cabinets are being delivered tomorrow!

TOMORROW!!!!!

And they are being installed on Tuesday. I am soooooooooo happy I could spit.
But I won't. That would not be nice.

To get ready for the cabinets the hubby has been VERY busy putting down the flooring.
It's eco-friendly of course!
Bamboo!

Here's the beginning....

Doesn't the bamboo look great against the hearth?

And when he was just about finished.

The proud floor layer. It's the first time he's done something like this!

I was going to take a photo of the finished job but my camera battery was, of course, dead.
He also put my beautiful shelves together.
I will show you photos of them tomorrow with photos of my uninstalled cabinets.
Woo hoo for me!
I will leave you with a view into the living area with my spiffy new floor.

I think I am going to get moved in!
IN my lifetime.

Staying Warm Even OUTSIDE!

I think I have written a few times on this blog that I am always cold. It could be a beautiful sunny day out and I am sitting around with 6 layers and a hat on - INSIDE! It cracks my husband up. This does present some challenges when I want to go outside. I mean, how many more layers can a girl put on? I ALREADY look like the Michelin Man am I now to look like a Sumo wrestler?

I got to thinking - what about electric heaters? You know the ones that you see outside at parties. Maybe that is just what I need to help keep me warm when I step outside on my deck! Little did I know that they even make tabletop models! How cool (well, you know what I mean) is that?

 
I could sit myself down next to this beautiful lamp style heater and just stay nice and toasty warm. And again, I am all about the warm.  And hey, you might as well have pretty while you are having your warm, right?

There is a whole world of outdoor heaters I just never knew about! I thought they had to be plain and utilitarian but you saw that pretty tabletop one and just look at this one:

it's gorgeous! It really adds to your outdoor decor. I suspect that if I hung it any guests that I had would never even know it was a heater! I just love pieces that blend in like that. The scrollwork is lovely.

I have to admit that when I gave any thought to these types of heaters it was the traditional gas heater that came to my mind. You know the ones I am referring to; the big tall silvery ones that throw s.e.r.i.o.u.s. heat?
I always ran into them at big parties on large patios. You would find me practically hugging the heater...but that is a tale for another post. heh.

These types of heaters are great if you want to keep a large outside area warm. I mean just look at this baby

it's 93" tall and 2' around! That's a BIG heater. But you know it would keep your guests nice and toasty. And THAT is what is important. It also kind of reminds of R2Ds in an odd sort of way....

So when the sun goes down and you need to find a way to keep everyone warm and toasty you now have some really spiffy heaters to help you!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post from Outdora.com

Review and Giveaway: Melitta Ready, Set, Joe and Melitta Cafe Collection Coffees

I am not a morning person.
No way.
No how.
I need coffee.
I don't know how to make my coffee but I need it.
Yup, I have admitted it. I don't make the coffee in this household. That job falls to the hubby.
He goes through all kinds of craziness for his cup of coffee - he likes cocoa, milk, sugar and who know what else in it.
Me, I like mine black.
Simple, strong and black.

For years I have used a Melitta drip cone - or perhaps I should say my hubby has used a Melitta drip cone to make my coffee. I am talking YEARS. I think it was a shower present and today is our 28th wedding anniversary. It was time for the upgraded version, don't you think? So when I was given the opportunity to review the new Melitta Ready, Set Joe I was all over it. The new drip cone is much sleeker and easier to use (erm, so says my hubby as I don't use it) and it comes with a very nice, heavy ceramic mug. I really enjoyed my morning coffee in my new mug and I know my hubby enjoyed making it with a drip cone that wasn't falling apart. He said it was easy to use and the filters were great; strong yet still allowing for a quick flow of water through the grounds.

I was also sent several bags of Melitta's new Cafe Collection Coffees. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE coffee? I'm sure I did....
Now, the hubby roasts his own beans. He makes some kind of espresso roast and the coffee we drink will basically take the paint off of cars. We both like strong, VERY strong coffee.

I tried the Blanc et Noir and it was a nice coffee - it didn't leave an acrid taste in my mouth. It just wasn't strong enough for me. Probably because my hubby's coffee has taken the first two layers off of my taste buds.

But now for the giveaway! I also received  a bag of Classique Supreme and Parisian Vanilla and I am going to share them with you!

How do you win? It's easy! But first, a rule -
US only since I am mailing these myself...



MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to The Cafe Collection and tell me which other coffee you would like to try - one that has not already been mentioned. Be sure to leave your email 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 Melitta are giving away Coffees from The Cafe Collection@http://tinyurl.com/ykfpowx #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. ( Good for 5 entries so leave 5 comments)

7. Add my button to your blog and leave me a link where I can find it.
8. Join my networked blogs - the widget is off to the right.
9. Become my friend on facebook

10. Follow MelittaUSA on twitter

11. Become a fan of Melitta on facebook

All entries need to be in by 9PM MST on  March 7th when I will go to Random.org to choose the winners. The first comment chosen will have first choice of the coffees. Good luck to everyone!

Disclosure:  I received a Ready,Set,Joe and samples of Cafe Collection coffees gratis for review. Any opinions posted are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free coffees and mug. I received no monetary compensation for this post.