The Importance of Being Reese: November 2012

Spread the Polish Swap Reveal

Happy Friday everyone,

This past week I finally had the opportunity to participate in my first swap exchange. I've seen so many popping up as of late, so I finally decided to join in on the fun. The swap I participated in was the Spread the Polish Swap hosted by Lala Lists and Lipgloss and Crayons.

My wonderful swap partner was Taush.O, who is not only gorgeous, but also expecting her first child. So she's got a this total glowy gorgeous pregnant woman thing going on.

I loved the colors I received. They were unique and bold, just like I like them :)

Although I haven't had a chance to give myself a full manicure yet using my new polishes, I expect that sometime in the near future when I have a few extra minutes to devote to pampering myself, I'll be giving myself a much needed mani and pedi.

Expect more pics soon! Until then...

XOXO Reese

It Just Got Real...

Just out of general curiosity, how many of you North Carolinians played the lottery tonight? Tonight was my first time ever playing the lottery. The line at the grocery store was at least 20 deep. That should tell you how serious it is.

I'm thinkin' with $550,000,000, I could buy quite a few new pair of shoes...And a Lamborghini. To match with every pair of my new shoes. I'm just sayin'.

Basically, if you guys don't hear from me for a while, you know the deal. So just in case, it's been real.

Deuces :D

XOXO Reese

Operation Hurricane Sandy Holiday Gift Exchange Sign-up!

Hello beautiful people,

Thank you so much for participating in this very special gift exchange! In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, more than 100 lives have been lost, countless homes have been destroyed, and thousands of families are still displaced. To add to the already depressing living conditions, many families will go without celebrating Christmas because they simply can’t afford it.

As bloggers however, we have a power that not everyone has. We have the power to inspire people. We have the power to come together in a time of grief and encourage others to do the same, and I think it’s past time that we pool our resources together and get down to business.

As I mentioned before, this gift exchange link-up is a very special one. Instead of trying to grow our blogs, or exchange gifts with other bloggers, we are going to go out a buy a gift or two for the children (or families if you wish) who have been, and are still being affected by this horrible disaster. If you don’t want to purchase a gift, you can always send a Christmas card instead. There are no limitations. Our ultimate goal is to spread as much cheer as we possibly can! Remember, once you have the gift, be sure to take lots of photos for the reveal link-up which will be active Dec 15th-Dec. 31st.

After doing a bit of research, I contacted the Boys and Girls Club of America and the YMCA to get a bit more information.

Here is a list of locations that will be participating in a special Christmas celebration for the hurricane victims. Depending on the amount of participants I will keep you guys updated on how many bloggers will be donating to each location so that we can be sure to spread the cheer equally amongst the shelters.

Al’s Angels

Al's Angels 342

Greens Farms Road

Westport, CT 06880

Collecting donations until Dec. 20th

Operation Santa-Tation

Lee's Tavern

60 Hancock Street

Staten Island, NY 10305

Collecting donations until Dec 22nd

Central Park Zoo

WCS Toy Drive

830 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10065

Collecting toys until Dec. 31st
*BTW, All people who donate will get 1 free general admission into the zoo.

Christmas for Children of the Beach

Attn: Heather Sutton

B&B Landscaping, Inc.

1634 Route 206

Tabernacle, NJ 08088
Collecting toys until Dec. 16th

A few important dates to keep in mind

Keep an eye on the Collecting toys until dates, some of these will be ending in a few weeks so you'll want to make sure you get them in on time.

December 15th-31st the link-up will be active, so don’t forget to come back and link up your post about your gift. Be sure to include lots of pics!

Rules

There is only one rule, be as generous and as giving as you possibly can. Remember, tis the season to be jolly :)

I only ask that you share this with as many people as you possibly can. The more people who know and participate, the bigger the impact and the better the outcome.

Note: this link-up is not exclusive to bloggers, if you just happen to stumble upon this post and are interested in participating, please hop right on in. If you wish to participate in the link-up, just take a photo of the gift(s), post it online on your facebook page, pinterest wall or instagram and include the url in the link-up.

Finally, if you plan to participate in the exchange, please fill out the form below. This information will help me to keep track of how many participants there are, and which locations are in need of more Christmas cheer.

Thank you guys so much! The people in these communities have suffered tremendously. Hopefully this Christmas season we can give them a reason to smile and be joyous. Remember, every gift you give goes to a child who has lost everything. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do together as a community!

Weekly November Shutterfly Giveaway # 4

Well guys, this is it! The fourth, and final shutterfly giveaway for this month. Thank you so much to the dedicated individuals who participated in this every week. I'll be crossing my fingers for you!

XOXO Reese

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eDiaperCakes Review and Giveaway!

I love it when my friends have a baby showers. I love all the baby decorations, the favors, the food and everyone is more friendly, plus it brings us together. Not long ago I was contacted by Liz of e Diaper Cakes and they make these beautiful diaper cakes for baby showers. The company started in April of 2012 and they already have dozens of different diaper cake designs.

They are a mom owned, mom operated business and everything that they make is hand made. Not only do diaper cakes make great gifts for baby showers, but they make a lovely gift for first time parents as well. eDiaperCakes.com makes these cakes out of baby books, rattles and flowers. They use only brand name products to design their cakes. Some of their cakes are even allergy friendly. You can find all of their diaper cakes here.

So today, as a reward to you guys, one of my lucky readers will get a $25 gift certificate to eDiaperCakes.com

Check out the rafflecopter widget below for more details. Good Luck!!

XOXO Reese

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Thanksgiving Bliss

Happy Post-Thanksgiving Everyone,

I hope your bellies are still humming in appreciation of all the yummy food that you have partaken in these past few days. I also hope your scales are being a lot nicer to you than mine is to me. Obviously the darn thing is broken...That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!

I know I disappeared on you guys for a while, but the fam and I decided to head to Myrtle Beach to spend Thanksgiving with the rest of the gang. We had a blast. Jasmine got to feel the sand between her toes for the first time. And as most babies do, she made a beeline for the ocean as soon as I put her down on the beach for the first time. Thus adding even more strands of gray hair to my head. I swear this kid is determined to have me salt and peppered by the time she hits preschool.

I don't know about you guys, but our Thanksgiving was great. We had such an amazing mixture of food and family. We had some delish southern food, a little dash of soul food and some wonderful Korean yummies to top it off. We even managed to sneak in a bit of German. One thing I can say about my family is we like to mix it up a bit.

Anyhow, please bear with me while I try to survive my upcoming tests and catch up on some much needed blogging. As always, don't be shy, be sure to drop me a line letting me know what you guys did for Thanksgiving.

P.S. Expect pics soon!

XOXO Reese

I have an Official Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Fundraising Page

It's official guys. I have a Hurricane Sandy Donation page. This fundraiser benefits the American Red Cross, so all donations will immediately and directly go to those who need it. I know the news has stopped talking about the devastation, but those people who were affected are still very much in need of our help. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I ask that you think of those who cannot, and will instead be in a shelter with hundreds of other people.What better way to celebrate your Thanksgiving by sharing some of your blessings with someone who is less fortunate?

If you would like to donate, you can check out my crowdwise page here. Or you can hit my Red Cross donation button in the top right hand corner of the screen. It only takes about two minutes, is completely secure, and the donations will directly and automatically go through to the Red Cross. Please, please, please think about these people who still need your help.

Also, I mentioned this to a few others, but I'm going to be hosting a Hurricane Sandy link-up and am still looking for co-hosts and participants. If you're interested and would like more info, shoot me an email at tasutton22@gmail.com and I'll get back to you.

Thanks guys!

XOXO Reese

Color Run Recap

Every once and a while I'll have a moment where I'm so unbelievably content that I'll try to memorize every detail of that particular experience. It can be something completely random. A beautiful sunset. My daughter smiling. James and I dancing, while Jasmine tugs on our pants legs giggling.

Sometimes, there's nothing incredibly special about these moments. Sometimes they're just arbitrary points in my life that I can reflect upon years down the road. This past Saturday was one of those moments; however, it was anything but ordinary.

As I'm sure many of you may know, yesterday I participated in my first 5k as a runner. The Color Run. For months, I've trained tirelessly in an effort to meet the one small goal I'd set for myself. To run the whole way. And I did. Uphill. Against the wind. Through the color stations. With the crowd. With my friends. It was amazing.

And those beautiful people,15,000 of them to be exact. All colors, ages and sizes. They were there. Laughing and dancing. Dressed in wedding gowns and sombreros. Angel wings and tutu's. It was so refreshing to be a part of a crowd that was there to just be. There were no expectations, no qualifications, and no explanations. We just were.

Since there's no real way for me to describe this event to someone who has not taken part in it, I'm just going to end on this note and share some of our photos. I'm also going to give you a bit of advice. If you see that The Color Run is coming to a town near you, sign up. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy!

My pre-run breakfast

Part of our group, Ja'Makin' Me Colorful before the color madness

Over 15,000 people

Our team dancing our way up to the start line

Blue Station

Yellow Station

The color throw at the end

Now that's dedication. This guy walked the entire 3 miles in heels. Awesome :)

Special thanks to Edycia, Natrell and Kathy for providing me with a few of your awesome shots!!!

XOXO Reese

November Weekly Shutterfly Giveaway #3

Happy November Everyone!

I've been so excited for this month to begin. Partly because I have quite a few treats for you guys this month. And partly because I'll be getting married next fall.

We've been planning the nuptials for quite some time now, but because we have such hectic schedules, we decided to postpone the big day until after I've graduated. Even so, I've steadily been pinning some creative ideas to my Pinterest boards in anticipation of our special day.

So, onto my treats. I'd like to share the joy of my almost wedding anniversary with you guys by giving you each a chance to win something special. Starting tomorrow, November 12th, once a week I will be giving away a $20 credit to Shutterfly. That means you'll have four opportunities to win big just in time for Christmas!

Pretty sweet huh? If you've never used Shutterfly, take a moment to check them out. They offer everything from photo books to customized photo fleece blankets. Which, by the way, make awesome Christmas gifts.

Check out the rafflecopter widget below to enter the first of the four giveaways. The only rule I have is to make sure that you are following ALL of the blogs listed on the widget. The rules are clear and simple. Be sure to follow them or else you will be disqualified. Also, please note, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada. And you can only win once. Sorry but I want everyone to have the opportunity to win.

As always, thanks for reading, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped me reach 400 followers on my GFC last week. You guys are AMAZING.

Btw, say congrats to last weeks winner!!! I'll be contacting you shortly with more dets ;)

Laura Nicholson

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What's Cooking Good Looking: Cranberry Glazed Chicken Tenderloins

It's been so long that I've done a food post that I decided to surprise you guys with a long overdo glimpse into my kitchen. Tonight's dinner is rapidly becoming one of my go to meals; Cranberry Glazed Chicken Tenderloins. It's simple to prepare, extremely delicious, and relatively healthy. So far neither James or Jasmine seem to protest much when I cook it, so I suppose that counts for something as well.

What you will need

2-3 Carrots

1/2 Onion

1/2 Cup of Fresh Cranberries

1/4 Cup of Green Onions

1/2 Can of Chicken Broth

1 Package of Chicken Tenderloins

1/2 Cup of Water

Seasoning Salt

2 Tablespoons of Honey

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Clove of Garlic

As I said this recipe is simple enough, and is open to individual interpretation. So if you feel that another ingredient is lacking, give it a go and let me know so I can switch it up. But for now, let's stick with my recipie.

1. First, slice up your carrots and onions and add them to the pan along with the water, chicken broth and cranberries. Cook on low.

2. Add olive oil to a separate pan, and fully cook your chicken tenderloins. Season liberally with seasoning salt, garlic, and honey.

3. Check your carrot and cranberries, if they feel soft and fully cooked, go ahead and pour a liberal amount over top the chicken. (Save the rest in a container for later). Cook slow and allow the sauce to fully saturate the meat. Top with green onions and serve.

Not bad right?

I chose to pair the chicken with a freshly baked sweet potato sprinkled with a little brown sugar, spinach and a nice glass of wine.

So if you've got a bit of free time on your hands and want to switch it up, give this a go and let me know what you think.

Happy Cooking

XOXO Reese

Color Run Countdown

It's hard to believe that in just one short week I will be competing in my first 5k race. Although I've participated in 5k's in the past, I've always been a walker (and no, I'm not talking about The Walking Dead kind). This will be my first time as a runner. And what better race to debut my (hopefully illustrious) running career than at The Color Run?

In case you've never heard of the Color Run, it's sometimes referred to as The Happiest 5k on Earth. I've seen tons of photos from my friends who have participated in this one, and so far it seems to live up to its title.

Seriously, does that not look like a blast?

When I first started training for this 5k back in July, I couldn't even run half a mile. It was ~~pretty~~ extremely tragic. Then I set my first goal. To be able to complete the whole race without walking. Once I started running a consistent three miler, I decided to up the ante and set a new goal. Run the 5k in under 30 minutes. Then once I hit that point, I decided to set yet another goal for myself. Finish the 5k in 28 minutes.

However, after mulling it over for a while, I've decided that I'm probably not even going to keep time on this race. To be more exact, I'm going to take my slow sweet time and savor the feeling of my first official 5k as a runner.

There's a lot to be said for people who run just to run. Not to compete or try to outdo everyone else. Not run so hard that you're literally shoving little old ladies and children out of the way. That's me, I know what my average 5k time is, and I think it's pretty darn amazing. Maybe it's not the fastest, but I know where I started. Maybe it's not 16:29; I'm sure if I pushed myself, I could run faster. Maybe another time. This time however, I just want to go out and have a good time with my color run team as we take part in one of the Happiest 5k's on Earth.

So if you live in the Charlotte area and will be joining us November 17th, be on the lookout for the Ja'Makin Me Colorful team. We'll be the colorful/awesome group of ladies dancing and being our normal crazy selves. Hope to see you there :)

Happy Running!

XOXO Reese

November Weekly Shutterfly Giveaway # 2

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XOXO Reese

Hurricane Sandy Relief: How You Can Help

Now that the political crazieness has somewhat subsided on Facebook and Twitter, I think that people are finally beginning to (hopefully) focus on other things; namely, the destruction that Hurricane Sandy has left in her wake.

I'll be the first to admit that for the past few weeks I've been so hell-bent on avoiding anything related to politics that I haven't watched cable television for the past month or so. A few days ago I just happened to catch a special on The Weather Channel about Hurricane Sandy, and although I've been keeping up with news concerning the hurricane via internet and NPR, photographs and radio interviews just don't tell the real story. Not even close.

What I saw devastated me. It shook me to the core to think that while people were busy hurtling insults at each other for their political beliefs, from the comfort of their warm, cozy homes, others were struggling to stay warm in the reminents of their demolished homes. Their homes that held once held memories of joy, laughter and hope. Gone. Can you imagine that? How horrible it would feel to have everything you had ever known destroyed in a matter of hours?

A few days ago, a dear friend of mine began sending out facebook messages to let everyone know that she and her hubby were renting two trucks and loading them up with everything they could spare to take up North. How amazing is that? What's even more amazing is the response she received. In mere days her garage was packed beyond capacity with donations for the victims.

Kathy: Pictured on right. How amazing is this lady??

Yesterday, I finally got myself into gear and used my coupon savvy for good. I went shopping and managed to snag a few tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, floss, toilet paper, feminine products, and a couple cans of soup and Ramen. All for about $7. And luckily, I still had a few of Jasmines winter outfits from last year, along with crib sheets, blankets, swaddles, and even a brand new 7-piece crib set that had never been used.

I'd originally intended to sell all of Jasmines old clothes to Once Upon A Child so that I would have money for Christmas this year, but at the end of the day, we have a roof over our head and food in our bellies. There are thousands of people who don't have that luxury. Besides, Jasmine is too young to realize that she's not getting a bunch of overpriced toys that she'll only play with once anyway, and James and I decided that we wouldn't even worry about exchanging gifts. They'll be a time and place for that, and now isn't the time. Too many others are in desperate need of help.

So what can you do to help?

Donate Supplies
Do what I did, find a place locally that are collecting donations. They are in need of everything imaginable, so if you can't donate money, donate clothing, toys, blankets, silverware, furniture, and all the things that you've been meaning to drop off at Good Will. If you do have a couple of dollars to donate, donate gift cards to the people driving up to help with relief efforts. These are normal, everyday people who are doing extraordinary things for strangers. Let them know we have their backs.

Donate to the Red Cross
They have been desperately trying to reach out to people to get donations. Here's how you can reach them: Visit their Hurricane Sandy Relief Website here, or contact them by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Ad Space
A number of bloggers, myself included, are giving away a certain percentage of their ad sales to hurricane relief. Here a blogger who's doing just that:

Our Knight Life

Also, if your interested in displaying a Red Cross Donation banner similar to the one I have, click here for more dets. If you're a blogger and you are donating your ad space sales to hurricane relief, please contact me at tasutton22@gmail.com and I will add your name to the list.

As more opportunities to give become available, I will keep you guys updated, so please keep coming back and checking. Remember, all politics aside, these people are your neighbors, and nothing is promised. Who knows, the next time disaster strikes, you may be the one in need of a helping hand.

XOXO Reese

$100 Holiday Spending Cash Giveaway

Welcome to the $100 Holiday Cash Giveaway Event, Hosted by Atl Deal Finder!

Special thanks to our Co-Host, Krystle of Home Jobs For Mom!

One lucky reader will receive $100 PayPal Cash!

All you have to do is follow the instructions on the RaffleCopter below. Complete any or all of the fields to enter.iveaway runs from 11/8-11/20 at Midnight. Open to US Residents, ages 18 and older. The winner will be chosen on 11/21 and will have 48 hours to respond to the announcement email before another winner is chosen.

Good Luck!

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Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. All opinions shared here are mine alone. The Importance of Being Reese is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

Happy Voting!

Although you can't tell by my lack of political posts, I'm a political junkie. And I don't mean just during election time. I mean I'm a year-round junkie. I'm almost too ashamed to admit that I finally just heard that ~~acid trip of a~~ song "Gangman Style" for the first time last week. Mostly because when I'm in the car all I listen to is NPR. All. the. time. I wish I were exaggerating...

As far as our political views are concerned, James and I sometimes sit on opposite ends of the fence. And that's okay. In fact, sometimes it's a good thing. Sometimes it forces me to adopt a new perspective on something that I'm so ardently against and vice-versa. Sometimes it forces me to inspect all the candidates more closely. It certainly forces me to make sure I know my P's and Q's at all times in case I get blindsided by a sneak attack.

I'm not going to tell you who I'm voting for today. Mostly because (a) I've seen what happens when people blog about politics, and it ain't pretty, and (b) where would the fun be in that?

No matter what side of the fence you sit on, I just hope that you guys are all going to go out and exercise your right to VOTE. I don't care what your political affiliation is. I don't much care who you intend to vote for. The only thing that truly matters, is that you do it.

At the end of the day, you may not agree with everything that I believe, but I think we can at least come to the general consensus that we are blessed to live in a country where we can have some say as to which direction it's heading in.

So get out there today and make sure your voice is heard.

Happy Voting

XOXO Reese

November Weekly Shutterfly Giveaway #1

Happy November Everyone!

I've been so excited for this month to begin. Partly because I have quite a few treats for you guys this month. And partly because I'll be getting married next fall.

We've been planning the nuptials for quite some time now, but because we have such hectic schedules, we decided to postpone the big day until after I've graduated. Even so, I've steadily been pinning some creative ideas to my Pinterest boards in anticipation of our special day.

So, onto my treats. I'd like to share the joy of my almost wedding anniversary with you guys by giving you each a chance to win something special. Starting tomorrow, November 5th, once a week I will be giving away a $20 credit to Shutterfly. That means you'll have four opportunities to win big just in time for Christmas!

Check out the rafflecopter widget below to enter the first of the four giveaways. The only rule I have is to make sure that you are following ALL of the blogs listed on the widget. The rules are clear and simple. Be sure to follow them or else you will be disqualified. Also, please note, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada. And you can only win once. Sorry but I want everyone to have the opportunity to win.

As always, thanks for reading, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped me reach 400 followers on my GFC last night. You guys are AMAZING.

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XOXO Reese
Where I'm linking up today...

"He's With Me."

Three little words I have grown quite accustomed to saying in the past four years. It's weird, before James and I got together, I never thought twice about the difficulties that interracial couples faced when trying to establish their relationship in public. I lived with the assumption that people understood that interracial couples were just as prevalent and accepted as non-mixed couples. I blame it on having spent the majority of my life in another country.

For the most part, people aren't rude to us. It's just that sometimes they don't realize that we are a couple. Like for instance when we go out to in public to a store or restaurant. Nine times out of ten we can expect that the sales person or waiter will begin talking to one of us, and then turn to the other and ask if we need help. At which point, I'll typically respond by saying, "he's with me."

I'm not going to lie, sometimes I'll purposely lay it on thick for the shock value. Like that one time we were in an elevator with a black woman who was obviously very angry at the fact that we were together. So of course, I snuggled up to James and gave him a long lingering "Notebook" worthy kiss and told him I loved him. I thought her head was going to explode. When the elevator finally reached her stop, she all but ran out of the elevator. We both thought it was pretty hilarious. Why get angry when there's nothing that we can do to change anything? So instead we choose to search for the humor in the situation. And if there's no humor, we'll find a way to make it humorous.

In the beginning we fought back. When people would glare at us, we would glare back, but now we've just decided to let the ignorant remain ignorant while we show them that interracial couples love just as hard. I guess until people catch on, I might as well face the fact that I'll be saying "He's with me" for a long time.

So my question of the day, have you ever seen interracial couples being harassed? How do you feel about that?

XOXO Reese

The One Where We Go Trick-or-Treating

This week was a pretty big week for us. It was Jasmine's first time trick-or-treating. Luckily for us, one of our malls hosted an indoor Halloween event that included trick-or-treating for the kiddos. Jasmine's costume was pretty simple. Considering she is named after a flower, we decided that Shakespeare said it best when he said "What is in a name? That which we call a Rose would smell just as sweet." Only Jasmine's costume was considerably less tragic...And Italian. Anyhow, we decided to dress her up as a flower. She was the most adorable little flower in the whole mall. Of course I am a bit biased... But seriously, cutest girl in the mall.

Jasmine seemed to have a blast. I think she could feel the energy from the older kids as they skipped alongside their parents, eagerly pulling them from store to store. It was so exciting being in the midst of all that happiness. I guess as adults we sometimes forget what it's like not to be in a constant state of worry.

I decided to retire my Superwoman costume this year and try out Batgirl. I was not impressed. I'll definitely be switching back to Superwoman. Or maybe Wonder Woman...huummm we'll see. James decided to go as, well, himself. How original. *Insert sarcasm here*

I loved every second of our adventure. Once we arrived home, we decided to lounge around the house in our costumes waiting for the trick-or-treaters to show up. I was actually a bit disappointed with the turn out. I guess it's a good thing that I decided to put back that last bag of Snickers. I decided instead to get this adorable little individual packages of Halloween shortbread cookies. However, I don't think the children appreciated my attempts to impart my healthy lifestyle on them. They were not happy campers. I like to think that when they get older and aren't obese, they'll reflect on their past and realize that I was just looking out for them. Or not.

Anyhow, I didn't go all out decorating. I'm saving all of my energy for Christmas. And believe me, that's going to take A LOT of energy. I did manage to sneak in one quick project. The little ghost jugs that you see in the photo collage below this. It was super easy. Super cheap. And super fun. Definitely my kind of project. Jasmine helped of course. She drank two gallons of milk in a few days to free up those jugs. Hard work right?

So, that was our Halloween. I hope you guys had an amazing time as well. Don't be shy, drop a comment below letting us know what you did. And here's one more shot for the road...

It ain't easy... being this cute.

XOXO Reese

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Welcome to the $100 Holiday Cash Giveaway Event, Hosted by Atl Deal Finder!

Special thanks to our Co-Host, Krystle of Home Jobs For Mom!

One lucky reader will receive $100 PayPal Cash!