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“Gift it Forward” – Create & Donate a New Puppy Prep Kit !! {Part 1} #iLoveMyK9

Shopping for Pet Supplies

“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” – Bern Williams

I’m a total animal lover. When we watch movies,  if someone gets hurt or dies in the movie, I get sad. But you should see the big ol’ tears I get in my eyes if it’s an animal that gets hurt!! I’m just such a sucker for anything fuzzy, floppy, cuddly, and cute. And I’m so glad that Abby got that from me… She loves animals. Her second word was Dog. {Right after Mom, and Hat. But Hat means Dad sometimes} Anyway… What I’m saying is, she looooves dogs. We got our new puppy when she was just 4 months old, so they’ve grown up together, and are best-est buddies. As soon as she learned to walk, they would explore through the house like Lewis & Clark – inside of cupboards, underneath shelves and beds, on top of tables and small cabinets – they’re like peanut butter and jelly, those two. So, when I heard about a project to put together a super fun “New Puppy Prep Kit” that I could give as a surprise gift to someone, I knew this was perfect for us!

Milk Bones on store shelves

“If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them.” – Phil Pastoret

The first items on our list were dog snacks – Because just like my rowdy toddler, a puppy works up an appetite during his playful days. We were looking for Milk-Bone® Dog Treats, Pup-Peroni snacks, and some goodies from Milo’s Kitchen. All three of these are treats that my little dog Deuce likes, so I’m sure that the puppy who gets this great basket will be thrilled too. The prices are so much cheaper here than our local pet store – so I wasn’t surprised to see that some of the shelves were half empty!!

Choosing Dog Snacks

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” – Charles M. Schulz

Since Abby is a total expert on puppies, she of course had to check out all of the snacks before giving her approval, and allowing them into the cart. As you can see, she took her job very seriously – here she is evaluating the Milo’s Kitchen treats. But, after each package was looked at, squeezed, and chewed on just a tiny bit – she deemed them all to be great choices, and into the shopping cart they went!

Dog and cat Christmas stockings

“A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life.” – Bob Barker

Since it’s the holidays, and this Puppy Prep Kit will be a gift basket – I was SUPER excited to find this display of pet Christmas stockings!! So much fun – and ohmyheck, such a good deal!! The top row is for dogs, the second row with the fun fluffy feathers are for cats – and they’re each only $4.95!! Total steal, am I right?? Since we’re making a stocking this year for Deuce, and grandma always gets her 4 little dogs presents too, {yep, we’re one of those families. The dogs all have Christmas outfits too. Love it} we’ll definitely be back to pick up some more of these!! Tons of fun.

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

We added a few more fun items for the basket – {Toys, dog dish, tissue and bows to brighten it up, etc}, then picked up a few grocery essentials {like banana’s for my little monkey-girl} – and then headed for check out. I don’t want to show you everything yet… I’ll be putting this basket together in the next few days, and will show you everything we bought in the next post, when I show you how to build a basket to give away. {Come on, Christmas-time is all about suspense and surprises, right??} This gives YOU a few days to get out to your own local Walmart and pick up some supplies too! {Hint: Watch your local paper week of December 11 for a money-saving coupon on Milk-Bone® Dog Treats!!}

Who will YOU give your basket to?

The idea behind this super fun project for Collective Bias is to put together a really cool, and really helpful, “New Puppy Prep Kit” – a fun gift that you can give to a new pet owner this holiday season. Since I don’t know anyone who’s getting a new puppy this year, I asked around, and found the perfect person to gift to – She volunteers with an animal rescue group, and has taken in tons of abandoned and abused animals herself. She helps rescue them from bad situations, nurtures them in her own home, and helps find them new “forever” homes. I’m really excited to be able to bring her this big gift package – to help make the holidays a little sweeter for the next puppy she helps!

So – How about it? With the incredible prices at Walmart on puppy supplies, why not join me and put together a fun New Puppy Prep Kit to give to a deserving person, shelter, or group in your own community! If you want to “gift it forward” too – I’d love to see a pictures!! Please come and share photos from your Walmart shopping trip, or of the fun package you create, and especially the lucky recipient!! You can post them on my Facebook wall, or put them on your own wall, and tag me in ’em so I’ll see the fun!! You could also bring this as a donation to a food bank – people who are struggling to afford food for their families are probably having a tough time providing for their furry family members. ‘Tis the season to do unto others….

Check it out:

See the rest of my New Puppy Prep Kit shopping adventure on Google+

{Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias – All thoughts, opinions, and photos are totally my own. Well, my own, with a little helpful advice from Abby, Deuce, and Mike!}

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{Photo Week!} 35 FREE Photo Card Templates!

Free Cards Templates

Amazing Collection of Free Photo Card Templates!!

Visit a super fun site, Too Much Time on My Hands, and check out all of the great free photo card templates that she has found and put together! Thirty-five different choices you can use to create the perfect set of Christmas or Holiday cards for your family. I love it! Make sure to leave her lots of comments with big THANK YOU’s for putting together such a super-helpful resource!

MyGofer

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{Photo Week} FREE $25 Credit from Minted.com – Invite Only

Minted cards holiday

“When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.” – Joyce Brothers

Minted.com Holiday Photo Deals!

I got business cards from Minted earlier this year – and Oh. My. Heck. I love them. They’re my “Good” business cards, lol. The quality at Mint is really impressive – they use thick, luxurious papers {yes, paper can be luxurious} and their designs are so unique. Total love. And right now – I can invite friends to Mint.com, and you each get $25 in FREE Credit when you set up your free account! Easy peasy, right? If you have any trouble getting the $25 credit applied, let me know so I can help ya!

Join Minted.com for a FREE $25 Credit!

Bonus Savings!!

Once you get started, here is a great coupon code to use on your first order! 15% Off all $150+ orders (Use: CHEERS15) or 10% Off all $100+ orders. (Use: CHEERS10). Exp 12/9. Have fun creating your cards, photo books, business cards, or gifts! Happy Holidays!

BelleChic

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MyPublisher: Coupon Codes for Photo Books

Photobook deal

“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” – Erma Bombeck

I love photos – scrapbooks, photo books, framed prints, ornaments, mugs – my awesome free mousepad from Vistaprint with Abby’s face on it – and so much more. So this week – today through next Wednesday – I’ll be sharing loads of photo tips, ideas, coupons, deals, and some fun giveaways too!

MyPublisher Deal

I’ve made a lot of photo books as gifts – and MyPublisher has some of the best quality in photo products that you can find. Seriously beautiful. You have to do a quick install of their program to get started – but it’s totally safe, I’ve used it forever, and it’s super easy to get started. And you can use these coupon codes to get a great deal on photo books and gifts this week:

  • Spend $50 – Save 15% off your purchase.
  • Spend $100 – save 30% {that’s $30 bucks!} off your purchase.

Use code JOLLYSAVE at check out to get the savings!!

This deal is only available until December 12th, so take advantage of it today!!

Vistaprint

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Weekly Blogging Opportunities – 12/7

Road sign of opportunity

Weekly Blogging Opportunities

Here are this weeks blogging opp’s – plus a few great networks to check out if you’re not already a member. If you have any favorite networks, resources, or have found a great opportunity this week that you can share – please feel free to leave a comment! I’m sure everyone else would love to know about your favorites too. And if you’re a company that is interested in connecting with bloggers, please contact me at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com, and I can share your info in next weeks post. Have a great week!

Product Opportunities – Review &/or Giveaways:

  • Mom Blog Society: Apply for a Seneca Farms Oatmeal Review and Giveaway. Follow her site – she posts tons of great info, opportunities, and events.
  • Booksneeze: Make a quick account, pick a book you like, then – if you come back and link to your review, you can choose another! Mostly Christian titles, but a wide selection, with options for almost everyone. Free Books for Review.
  • Saline Ambassadors: They are now recruiting for product ambassadors, this includes Saline Soothers and Boogie Wipes – both totally amazing products. I’m an Ambassador and love it – applications accepted until December 31 – Apply for Saline Ambassador.
  • Free Santa Letter: They’re looking for bloggers to partner for a “Santa Magical Package Giveaway” – sounds cool, right? Email if interested:  LettersfromSanta@easyfreesantaletter.com.
  • MomSelect: For bloggers and non-blogging moms! Sign up for an account, share your interests and info, and watch for fun opp’s to come your way. I’ve had some really amazing things come out of this. Fun opp’s for bloggers and moms.
  • Sits Girls: Fill out their application to be partnered with brands in your area for fun opportunities!

Giveaways to Join:

Cash Giveaway: Join one of my great blogging buddies for her 5K Facebook Fan Giveaway! The joining fee starts at only $2 bucks, and she’s awesome to work with. Check it out – Money Saving Parent Giveaway Sign-Up.

Twitter Leads: 

Bags by eBags PLEASE RT: We’re seeking #bloggers to review travel products. @ reply @bags_by_ebags if you want to partake in this! #travel #review #blog

Money to Make:

  • Kids Crafts: Holiday craft ideas wanted! Find more info, pays between $8 and $15 per idea – Paid Posts for Kids Crafts.
  • zuuzs.com: Read more about how it works – How To: Earn Money with zuuzs – or sign up here. I’m earning cash with them daily – it’s starting small, but it’s consistent, and I think there is a ton of potential!
  • Social Spark: Earn with sponsored posts and cool products. Sign up here – You Blog, You Profit.

Affiliates to Join:

  • Logical Media: This has some offers that I can’t find on other sites, like certain survey sites I use. Payouts take longer, but it’s worth it if they have some offers you love.
  • Escalate Media: My favorite by far, quick payouts and responsive reps.
  • Integrate Media: This is a little trickier to get started, but it’s amazing. Great offers, huge variety, and super cool tools. Read this if you need help – Getting Started with Integrate – or sign up here.
  • MySavings Media: Promote coupons, freebies, and deal offers and earn cash.

Share the Love!

Feel free to share this post, or any of the links here, in your favorite networks, groups, or forums – all of these opp’s are open to anyone. If you have a great opp to share – feel free to leave it in a comment. And if you’re a business or brand who would like your blogger programs or opportunities shared, please email me at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com to be included next week! Happy Holidays!

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My Favorite Quotes About Love..

Love, Beach, Sunset
I Love Quotes About Love…

“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe

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“Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” – Michael Leunig

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“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” – Elbert Hubbard

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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

And my All Time Very Favorite Quote About Love…

“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love.” – Robert Fulghum

Do you have a favorite quotes board on Pinterest too? Leave me your link in the comments – I’d love to follow yours too!

Diamond Ring Selection

Something Special for Your Someone Special…

If you have a special someone – Mom, Daughter, Partner – that you’d like to surprise with an amazingly special gift this year, check out the beautiful selection of handcrafted diamond jewelry on Seventy Seven Diamonds. They can provide you with a little piece of perfection…. Their huge selection means that you can find the right piece that’s as beautiful as the person you’re shopping for. The free worldwide delivery, Best Price Guarantee, and 60 day return policy mean you also get piece of mind with every purchase. Shop www.77diamonds.com today – and make the holiday more magical for that special someone!

{Disclosure: Photo Credit on main photo – Marley Grosz, lower photo, 77diamonds.com. This article is written in behalf of Seventy Seven Diamonds.}

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Cookin’ with Kids: Avocado Recipes and Mini Chef Contest!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Cooking with Kids

“The belly rules the mind.”  – Spanish Proverb

That’s never more true than when talking about children! A kiddo with an empty tummy is the crabbiest kind. And as moms, we don’t want to just fill those tummies up with junk food and empty calories – we want our little ones to get the best possible nutrition, right? But what do you do when your kids don’t want to eat the fruits and veggies that you lovingly serve? {You do serve them “lovingly” right, every time?? Lol} – Busy Mom Solution: Involve your kids in the kitchen, and they’ll be much more likely to finish what’s on their plate! The boys at my house love helping me put meals together. The Little Mister helped me make one of our favorite lunch-time snacks today – keep reading to check it out!

New Message

Mini Chef Video Contest

The Mini Chef Video Contest finalists have been chosen – and public voting starts TODAY on YouTube!! {The winning video gets $1,000 in cash, plus some other awesome prizes!} You’ll find 10 adorable kiddo’s sharing their favorite recipes in their own kitchens – watch the videos with your kids, pick your favorites, and get them excited to become your little meal-time helper too. When you get the kiddo’s involved, and let them help you choose healthy ingredients, and use them to prepare super-yummy meals, they’ll be much more excited at meal time.

Avocados from Mexico

A great ingredient to include in your families meals are avocados!! These fruits {yep, they’re a fruit!} are packed full of the vitamins that your kiddo’s need to grow big and strong – Just 3 slices of a creamy and delicious avocado provides potassium, fiber, folate, vitamin C, E, and B-complex vitamins that help support memory! Now that’s a super snack, right? If you’ve never thought about introducing avocado’s as a snack food for your kids – it’s definitely time to try it out. I’ll share a couple favorite recipes from our family…

    

Tangy Turkey Wraps

Mash up a couple of slices of avocado, and spread onto a flour tortilla, stopping about an inch away from the edges. Top this with a slice of turkey, sprinkle with cheese and grated carrots, and add a bit of your favorite BBQ sauce. Roll it up, cut in half, and enjoy!

Avocado Kabobs

{So fun to say, lol.} Using wooden skewers, thread each one with the following: Olives, Salami Cubes, Mozzarella cheese balls, avocado chunks, and cherry tomatoes. Line ’em up on a tray, spray with a bit of olive oil or balsamic vinaigrette dressing, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese or dried herbs. Kids love the bite-size pieces, and they’re a really fun appetizer for holiday entertaining too!

What is YOUR favorite Avocado recipe?

Did you vote for a winner in the Mini Chef contest? If so, who was your families favorite? And do you have a favorite avocado recipe too? Share it in the comments, so I can find some new ones to try out!

Visit Sponsor's Site

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