Happy Mother's Day Giveaway

Happy Mother's Day Giveaway

Hosted By:

Holiday Contest and Sweeps

Co-Hosted By:

Tom's Take On Things

Simply Sherryl

Michigan Savings and More

Java John Z's

The Ministers Wife Stamps and Saves

Beautiful Touches

My Devotional Thoughts

Everyday Southwest
Peanut Butter and Whine 
My Silly Little Gang
Finding Sanity In Our Crazy Life
My Devoted Mommy Of 3  

 

 Happy Mother's Day Giveaway
  3 - Winners 

Grand Prize: 
Ergo Chef/ Michael Symon 4 Piece Serrated Steak Knife Set 
Michael Symon's Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers Hardcover Cookbook
5 -  Smart Topper Collapsible Food Saver
1 -  3 1/2  Gallon Spring Blossoms Popcorn Tin
1 -  CORINTHIAN BELLS 44 IN COPPER VIEN CHIMES

  Second Place Prize: 
3 -  Smart Topper Collapsible Food Saver
1 -  3 1/2  Gallon Spring Blossoms Popcorn Tin

  Third Place Prize:
2 -  Smart Topper Collapsible Food Saver
1 -  3 1/2  Gallon Spring Blossoms Popcorn Tin

Ergo Chef 

 Michael Symon 4 Piece Serrated Steak Knife Set

These precision ground knives come with polished blades and 18 degree razor sharp serrated edges. The forged full tang and abbreviated bolster provides strength and balance. They come with High Carbon German made Stainless Steel which provides great edge retention and are stain resistant for easy hand washing and care. Not only are they stylish but they are crafted with a G-10 handle, which is one of the world's strongest handle materials, so they will hold up in any kitchen. These knives are great for slicing smoothly through crispy crusted chicken, juicy steaks, pork chops and all your favorite meats.

Never be embarrassed again when sitting down with your family or friends for a great dinner and having them use a dull steak knife that would barely slice butter & tear their food with every slice. These knives are serrated which makes them great for even slicing tomato's, bread or bagels at any thickness you may desire. Not only do they cut through just about anything, they are stylish with a blade that is initialed by Chef Michael Symon. They will add elegance to any meal that you serve. I have used many of the Ergo chef's products, but they have knocked this one out of the ball park in creating these Michael Symon steak knives with the Iron Chef himself. I would be honored to serve them to anyone with the best of meals.

Michael Symon's Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers Hardcover Cookbook

Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and meat lover Michael Symon—of Food Network’s Iron Chef America and ABC’s The Chew—shares his wealth of knowledge and more than 100 killer recipes for steaks, chops, wings, and lesser-known cuts. Fans across the country adore Michael Symon for his big, charismatic personality and his seriously delicious food. But there's one thing Michael is known for above all else: his unabashed love of meat. A devoted carnivore, Michael calls the cuisine at his six Midwestern restaurants "meat-centric." Now, in Michael Symon's Carnivore, he combines his passion and expertise in one stellar cookbook. Michael gives home cooks just the right amount of key information on breeds, cuts, and techniques to help them at the meat counter and in the kitchen, and then lets loose with fantastic recipes for beef, pork, poultry, lamb, goat, and game. Favorites include Broiled Porterhouse with Garlic and Lemon, Ribs with Cleveland BBQ Sauce, Braised Chicken Thighs with Kale and Chiles, Lamb Moussaka, and Bacon-Wrapped Rabbit Legs. Recipes for sides that enhance the main event, like Apple and Celeriac Salad and Sicilian Cauliflower, round out the book. Michael's enthusiasm and warmth permeate the text, and with 75 beautiful color photographs, Michael Symon's Carnivore is a rich and informative cookbook for every meat lover.

  Viatek Consumer Products

10-Smart Topper Collapsible Food Saver

TURNS THIS INTO THIS

Keep Food Fresh & Safe! Smart Topper turns almost any plate into an airtight storage container! Simply place the Smart Topper on a plate, bowl, or pan and press down to keep food fresh. Use it to cover food in the microwave, and then pop it in the dishwasher to clean. It expands to fit large items and collapses to fit small ones. Get rid of that jumbled heap of plastic storage containers and get organized with Smart Topper. 

THE POPCORN FACTORY
3-  3 1/2  Gallon Spring Blossoms Popcorn Tin

Our Spring Blossoms Popcorn Tins offer Butter, Cheese and Caramel for 3-flavor tins and White Cheddar joins the mix for 4-flavor tins. A great value Popcorn Delights: • Butter Popcorn – The popcorn classic with freshly popped kernels and buttery deliciousness. • Cheese Popcorn – A must for any popcorn fan. When you think of cheese popcorn, this is it! • Caramel Popcorn – Super crunchy and super delicious, one of our most popular popcorn recipes. • White Cheddar Popcorn – Plump kernels with delicate white cheddar goodness and just a hint of buttermilk. 

QMT WINDCHIMES CORINTHIAN BELLS 44 IN COPPER VIEN CHIMES

The Corinthian Bells® 44" T406 creates musical tones for your outdoor garden or patio   The T406 makes an excellent compliment to a wide range of chimes. It can give depth when paired with our smaller models or add flair to the low tones of our larger chimes.

  A Big Thank You To All Of Our Sponsors:
QMT Windchimes
Ergo Chef Cutlery
Viatek Consumer Products
The Popcorn Factory

  This giveaway will be valid in the Continental United Sates Only. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway is in no way associated, affiliated or endorsed with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social media Networking Site. This giveaway will end at 12:00 AM (EST) 4/28/2016. Holiday Contest and Sweeps and The Minister's Wife received a Set of the Steak Knives as compensation for the review, no other form was received. Each sponsor will be responsible for awarding and shipping their prizes to the winners directly.

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Incessant Divagation

“MY MOTHER-IN-LAW IS ABSENT” 

by Rick Jones, Son-in-Law of the Mother of the Minister's Wife

My mother-in-law passed away. Lois and I were discussing epitaphs . . .

That's not the opening to a bad joke. Lois's mother passed away on the morning of Friday, October 23rd. Ironically, that same morning I was telling Lois about some epitaphs I'd read while preparing for what I intended to be this edition of “Incessant Divagation”. That article will be out next Tuesday. This one is out early, as we're preparing for a 500 mile trip to attend a funeral.

When I heard the voice of Lois's brother on the phone, asking to speak with his sister, I had a premonition. I'm not a man who puts much credence in stories of psychic impressions, but as I gave the phone to Lois I felt certain that her mother had died. I was right. People who know much about me know that I enjoy being right – but there was no pleasure in it this time. I'm grateful to God that I was home and could be with Lois when she heard the news.

Patricia Wing was born Patricia Fairfield on June 12, 1926, in Cuba, New York. Her obituary tells me she enjoyed gardening, needlepoint, church functions and eating out. I didn't know much about her. Yes, I learned a significant amount of biographical information over the years as Lois spoke of her mother, but we didn't have much personal interaction. I do know that she approved of me before Lois and I became married. I joked that this proved she was a very wise and perceptive woman. Seriously, I'm not sure why she gave Lois a “favorable review” but I truly believe that if she had not, Lois would not have accepted my marriage proposal. Lois valued her mother's opinion. That makes Lois perceptive.

I'm not in a mood to share funny stories about my mother-in-law. I do want to share that she took her relationship with God – her “religion”, and she wasn't ashamed to be identified as a “religious” person – very seriously. That doesn't mean that she was harsh with people who didn't think or act like she did. She was very strict with herself, and her love of God inspired her to forgive and help people around her, whether or not they lived by her standards. She was one of those people who, when she said she'd pray for you, was making a commitment, not tossing out a quickly forgotten platitude. And if you knew she was praying, you felt like something significant was taking place on your behalf. 

Eighty-nine years of life gave her plenty of opportunity to compare events in her life with principles she studied from the Bible. She grew strong in her faith, seeing personally that God had spoken truth and fulfilled His promises.

Now that she has died, I believe she is experiencing a condition Paul wrote about: that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I'm sure she's having a wonderful time, and while we miss her, my personal opinion is that given her circumstances, she has better things to do than miss us. She had some rough times in her life, and the last couple of years were not pleasant, but those troubles are now far outweighed by the blessings of her current surroundings.