Our New Dog: Piper!

Wondering why I've been so quiet on my blog this weekend?  We have a new dog named Piper.  And she and my daughter have bonded greatly.  She doesn't get along with our fourteen cats as of yet, but she's only been in our household a little over a day.  What can you expect?  She is settling in, and I think I can get back to regular posting tomorrow.

Snapily 50% Discount Through 12/23

It is time to take advantage of a once a year discount!

Snapily is a fantastic photo gift site that wants to remind you of the other 364 days of the year.They are offering a 50% discount. They are combining  the discount with their wholesale discount. Here is an example. 

If you were to buy a personalized 3D or animated bookmark, it would cost $6.99. Add 5 Bookmarks to your cart and the combined 50% off with wholesale discount, each bookmark costs only $1.75! Ornaments (think Christmas next year!) cost $8.99... the with these discounts, the price drops to $3.50 each (when you buy 4). You get the idea!

Coupon code 50OFF will get you 50% off. For everyone else it's 48 hours ONLY. But they are giving us one extra day... so it ends for everyone else on Saturday, and they are keeping it live for us through Sunday the 23rd!

In case you have not heard about Snapily,  their specialty is creating Personalized 3D & animated photo gifts.  And these gifts are gorgeous--I have ordered with them before.  With a range of products such as backpack tags, notebooks, photo cards, rulers, ornaments, and more, Snapily's affordable way to personalize 3D and motion gifts makes this an affordable gift all year long.  Birthdays, Valentine's (sooner than you think...), anniversaries... they even have cool business cards! Don't miss out on this amazing offer. Snapily only offers this discount ONCE per year, and It will be over before you realize. 

Pump Up Your Book Presents "Arn? Narn" Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Join Bruce Meisterman, author of the photo-documentary, Arn? Narn, as he tours the blogosphere October 15 – December 14, 2012 on his first virtual book tour withPump Up Your Book!

ABOUT BRUCE MEISTERMAN

As a photographer, Bruce Meisterman has worked in areas as diverse as fine art and commercial photography, always looking to meld the two. Originally studying to be a painter, Bruce found that he could express himself and his art more effectively with a camera. Starting out as a photo-journalist with a newspaper, he honed his eye, insight, skills, and story-telling abilities from working with the demands of daily deadlines.

The book Arn? Narn. was initially conceived as an examination of a western culture, isolated from the world. Isolated not so much as to having no contact with the outside world, but as to being a destination rather than a place along one’s way. In researching the then-untitled book, Meisterman determined Newfoundland would be the perfect place in which to do this study.

After his first trip up there to photograph, he realized that a core element to his photos was missing, necessitating another trip to Newfoundland the following year. It was then where the story became apparent to him. The title of the book tells it all.

“Arn? Narn.” is the shortest conversation in Newfoundland English. The story behind it is this: two fishing boat captains are in the bay: one departing, the other returning. The departing captain yells out across the bay “Arn?’ The returning captain responds “Narn.” The translation is simple: “Any fish?”; “No fish.” And this book is about a culture, that culture, having supported itself for many years on fishing, finding itself now unable to do. The fish are gone.

While Arn? Narn. is about Newfoundland, the implications are of a much broader scope. The lessons learned here have global ramifications. Meisterman likens it to a canary in a coal mine, but on a planetary scale. When the canary dies, it’s time to get out of the coal mine and avert a human catastrophe. In this instance, the canary (the Newfoundland fishing industry) died, but no one took notice until it was too late. Evidence indicates other such global collapses are inevitable but may be avoidable, but only if action is taken.

Meisterman has been widely published in numerous publications such as: the New York Times, The Sun magazine, Yankee magazine, Country Journal magazine among many others and has been featured in a number of books. He has had numerous exhibitions ranging from galleries to museums. And his work resides in many private collections. Arn? Narn. is Meisterman’s first book.

He has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, religious organizations, and trade groups conducting them in a fashion where he also learns from the process as well as those attending. “We are all teachers to each other. How fortunate that I can be the recipient of a whole room full of teachers’ knowledge. They have made me a much better photographer. The one thing I never want to do is stop learning.”

Visit Bruce on the web at www.bmeisterman.com.

ABOUT ARN? NARN

Arn? Narn., while telling the true story of a disappearing rural Newfoundland, is also a cautionary chronicle of an imminent world wide concern. In 1992, the Canadian government enacted a cod fishing moratorium on the over 500 year old fishing industry, throwing over 40,000 fisherman out of work. In the next ten years, nearly 20 % of Newfoundland’s population migrated off the large island. Now, 20 years later, the fish have not returned nor have the people.

The implications of this are only now just beginning to be understood. In 2006, Dr. Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia published a paper which received world-wide attention. In it, he predicted that by the middle of this century all stocks of wild, edible fish will be in total collapse. What happened in Newfoundland is expected to occur planet-wide.

Arn? Narn. is a photo-documentary of a culture vanishing before our eyes; perhaps as an early warning to all countries to learn how to manage their resources more carefully. This could very easily happen anywhere.

The title refers to a short conversation in Newfoundland English. It comes from the story of two fishing boats in a Newfoundland bay: one boat is departing, the other returning. The departing boat’s captain yells across his bow, “Arn?” The returning boat’s captain replies, “Narn.” The translation is simple: “Any fish?” “No fish.” That is the tragedy of this story. Through over-fishing, government mismanagement, and greed, the fish are gone.

Follow the entire tour here.

Sponsored Post: Shutterfly Holiday Cards (and a giveaway, too) U.S./Canada (Ends 10/29)

Well, it almost that time of year.  "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.  Please put a penny in the old man's hat."  I know that's not the most popular Christmas song on the books, but it is a great way to kick off the holiday season.

You know what else is a great way to kick it off?  Shutterfly Christmas Cards!

What is the one time of year that people traditionally send cards and/or letters?  Christmas!  It's the idea time to send out updates about the year and let people know what is going on with you and your family.  And it's so neat to be able to add current family photos.  Nothing like a photo to add the personal touch.

Most of us our somewhat computer savvy, and we know how to download pictures to our computers.  But who has the time to sit down and create a beautiful card that uses those photos?

I know some people do, but I will admit that I don't.  If I can submit my pictures, design it online using a simple tool, and have the correct amount of high-quality cards printed and mailed to me for sending to friends and family, I would say to go ahead and do it!  Anything that saves me time during this busy time of year sounds good to me.  

Photo Christmas Cards are definitely the wave of the future.  They are so versatile.  Add one or man pictures, and arrange them in an eye-pleasing way.  How nice that Shutterfly provides you with so many good layouts and designs from which to choose.  

This card is similar to one from earlier on except that this one has color and is a "religious" card.  I have to say that I never would have thought of making a change like that just to personalize a card.  And if you are so inclined, you could conceivably design a different card for everyone in your sphere of influence--the possibilities are endless.

So what do you think?  Are you interested in checking out Shutterfly yet?  Be sure to check out their Special Offers page.  You're sure to find something for the special people in your life that will be meaningful long after the holiday season has passed.

Check out Shutterfly on social media for the latest news, deals, and promotions.

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shutterfly
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/Shutterfly
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/shutterfly/
• Instagram: Shutterfly
• Google +: https://plus.google.com/+shutterfly
• Blog: http://blog.shutterfly.com/

Ready for the deal to be truly sweetened?  Shutterfly is letting me give away a $50 gift certificate to their website!  ($50 off the total order excluding shipping/handling; cannot be combined with any other offer)  Just enter the rafflecopter form below by October 29 at 9 P.M. Pacific time.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shutterfly.  I am being financially compensated for posting this, but all opinions are 100 percent mine.  The giveaway will be provided by Shutterfly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

$50 Rendi Style Giveaway (Ends 10/27) U.S.

Remember my review last night for Rendi Style?  Have I got a deal for you!  One of my U.S. readers will receive a $50 online gift code to Rendi Style!  Wow!  Think of the Christmas presents and more that you can design with that!

Please enter on the rafflecopter below, and be sure you enter by October 27 at 9 P.M. Pacific time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rendi Style--Unique Personalized Gifts--Review

I am so excited to tell you about a wonderful company called Rendi Style.  I am always looking for unique, personalized gift ideas for my family and friends, and this company has that and more!  The easiest thing in the world is to go to the store and get the mass-produced gift for your loved ones, but that always seems so cold.  I have always been one of those people who like personalized gifts.  I used to make Christmas gifts, but my schedule does not permit that any more.  So the next best thing is to pay someone to create a gift.  And what can be better than combining pictures with a truly unique keepsake.

Rendi is a company that truly does work to provide that special, one-of-a-kind gift for those most special to you.  All you do is pick the item you would like to design and add the personalization on the website.  Then the company designs this gift for you (and they even say that what you see on the website will not look identical to the item you receive).  There is something truly personal about that for me.  It tells me that the company truly cares about their customers!

And that is not the only way "Rendi Cares."  They support a charity that supplies clean drinking water to communities around the world that need it.  And the company even involves the customers themselves in the charity-giving process.  Read more about their involvement in charity: water here.

The picture above shows you how the items arrived to me.  They were almost too pretty to unwrap!  And I plan to use that very wrapping when I give the following items as Christmas presents.

The item pictured above is for my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas.  I love the fact that pictures can be easily exchanged, and I enjoyed personalizing the message "We Love, We Share."  One thing my brother and sister-in-law enjoy doing is going on motorcycle trips together.  I really enjoyed designing this for them, and I think they will enjoy it.  I know I would!

This was a plaque that I designed for my mom.  I was pleased to find the wonderful quotes from which I could choose (I just didn't feel creative when I was designing these).  I thought the quote was perfect for my mom, and I am glad that it came with hardware so she can hang it on the wall easily.  I know my mom will find a special place to hang this up.

I forgot to mention the wonderful smell these creations have!  They are strong, sturdy, and the wood smells wonderfully natural.  I can hardly wait to give these gifts at Christmas--the waiting is sometimes interminable. But at least they are wrapped well, and no one knows where to find them but me.

If you are looking for that unique, one-of-a-kind gift for any occasion, don't forget to check out Rendi.  And follow them on facebook and twitter for the most current news.

I received this product through Karma Media in exchange for my honest review.
If you are interested in checking out what the other members on the team had to say, check out the linky below.

Shutterfly’s Long Live Summer Photo Contest on Facebook

I am pretty excited to tell you about a great contest that Shutterfly is having this summer.  Yes, I realize it started on the 9th of this month, but it will not be over until August 8th.  So don't panic!  You have plenty of time. Read about the giveaway below.

Long Live Summer – Facebook Photo Contest details (US residents only) 7/9 – 8/12 Multi-week summer themed photo sweepstakes with instant win prizes. http://bit.ly/sweepS

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever.  All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week.  Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.  And of course, who wouldn't like to go to a nice place like the Bahamas??

PHOTO THEMES

•       Week 1(7/9): Americana (Already done)

•       Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors (Already done)

•       Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun

•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES

•      Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!

•      Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)

•      Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page.

•      Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

•       Shutterfly Sweepstakes - Official Rules

So, what are you waiting for?  Don't delay!  Go and enter now before your chance of going to the Bahamas slips through your fingers!

More From Our Cats

Well, since my last cat picture post was pretty popular, I thought I would do another one.  Here's a little bit more about our various cats.

This is our truly feral mother cat, Stripey.  She is the one we cannot get into the vet to get spayed.  And she has given us three litters of kittens now.  She has three this time around.  Artsy is the one with orange on her. The calico one in the middle is Sissy.  And the big gray one on the end is Feisty.  We believe he is male and the other two we are pretty sure are female.  We'll see when we take them in.

Artsy and Sissy are the calmest ones.  Especially Artsy.  She has the sweetest disposition, and I believe she is the runt.  Sissy can be a little "hissy" at times, but she is pretty sweet.

You probably notice Sissy's right eye.  These kittens have pretty severe eye allergies.  I am constantly cleaning their eyes with some pads I got at Pet Smart the last time we had kittens.  The main problem is that Stripey, their mother, does not clean their eyes like she should.  This eye thing is a common problem amongst barn cats, and although these aren't barn cats, allergies are pretty bad out here in Yelm.

This is Pinto.  He is one of our sweetest cats.  You would never believe that he was born feral.  He loves to snuggle and be on my lap.  He has been known to follow me over the house while I am getting ready in the morning and even jump on the bathroom counter.  His mother was from Stripey's first litter.  We were so certain that his mother, Tiger, was male until she showed up with three kittens!  And her mom had a litter of five that she practically raised along with her own.  Stripey is not known for being a great mom, but her mom was worse!

And this is Bronze, Pinto's brother.  He loves my mom, and his disposition is also pretty sweet.  He does have a tendency to bite if you pet him for a while and don't do it just right.

You can tell how pleased my mom is to have him!

Next time, I will try to get our goats and our newts.

Picture Keeper Giveaway (Ends 5/24) U.S.

I have teamed up with Charisma Media Network, Beauty Brite and a few of my blogger friends to bring our readers the Picture Keeper Giveaway! This giveaway is for Picture Keeper PK-4. (RV: $29.99).

To read more about Picture Keeper, check out Beauty Brite’s review.

Cozy Up With a Good Book...Mark! From Snapily!

COZY UP THIS WINTER... with a good Book...MARK!

Did you know our most popular product is good year round?

When you purchase just 5, you receive 50% off! Coupon BOOK20 is good for an additional 20% off. This coupon + our wholesale pricing can add up to some SERIOUS discount for quantity purchase.

Our personalized 3D/Animated bookmarks can be gifted for:

• Encourage Kids to Read
• Party Favors
• Your Favorite Students…and much more!

Like the rest of our products – they are extremely easy to personalize, 3D or animated, in just a few steps.

...and don't forget the coupon that keeps on giving! HOT2OFF will give you $2 off ANY PRODUCT on our entire site. There is UNLIMITED use. Which means you can buy again, and again, and again... and use HOT2OFF each transaction! (cannot be combined with other coupons)

They  do their BEST to keep their customers happy, and have them coming back for more. 

Solution Sunday--Mixbook 5x7 Custom Card Review

I am so excited to tell you about this wonderful product that I had the opportunity to review!  Mixbook is a wonderful site where you can create your own custom cards, invitations, and more.  The site is incredibly easy to navigate, and you will definitely be happy with the quality of each product they provide.

As I began to create my custom photo card, I was faced with so many decisions.  There were so many ideas, and I really had to spend some time narrowing down my choices.  I finally decided to create a custom Christmas Card.  The really great thing was that I was able to design exactly what the card said so that I could use these cards during winter, not just Christmas.  I sometimes forget to send out Christmas cards, but I know that I can make it a point to send out cards in January, and these cards will be ideal.  Here's a scan  of what my card looks like:

 While this image is not the clearest, you can see what a fine job they do on creating the perfect card!  My daughter loved it , and so did my mom.  On the back of the card, there is plenty of room to write a short message, and each card comes with a white envelope at no extra charge.

So the next time you have some kind of event coming up and you need a special, customized card, don't forget to check out Mixbook!  With them creating the perfect custom card, you just can't go wrong!

Like Mixbook on facebook.
Follow Mixbook on twitter.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.