Whirlwind of Surprises: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Scavenger Hunt! 12 Personalized Stationary Cards #FlashGiveaway 11/30

Alright, so we're doing a scavenger hunt tonight! From 9PM to 11:59PM, you'll have the opportunity to enter new giveaways posted every 10 minutes until all the blogs have their giveaways posted. You then have until 11:59PM EST to enter as many as you'd like.

Lincoln, a comparison companion book to #LincolnMovie

Oh my, Lincoln is everywhere! The other night, the SO and I were enjoying a yummy sushi night, when I overheard the table beside us in an intense discussion about Lincoln! They were talking about the costumes and everything. Made me happy to know that great history is reaching all sorts of people and educating while entertaining. Now if your kids would love to learn more, there's been a new companion book to the film made titled, “Lincoln: How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in America.”

Who doesn't need more bedding? My sheets are pilling and my pillow cases are fading in color. Won't someone save me from this horror? LOL, I started eyeing down the Black Diamond Jacquard Modern Contemporary 3pc Bedding set from Beyond Bedding. It lacks the bed sheets that I needed but it still was so classy.

Stay at Hotel Transylvania! #Nintendo #DS #games #holidaygiftguide

This holiday season, forget about the snow flakes...instead, go on an adventure in Hotel Transylvania, a new side-scrolling adventure game available on Nintendo DS/3DS game by GameMill Entertainment. Your mission is to save Jonathan, the human, that stumbles into this monster friendly hotel during Mavis' (Dracula's daughter) 118th birthday celebrations.

#PetSmart Authority for your #pets US/CAN 11/28 #flashgiveaway #MissionGiveaway #PayItForward

Well, holiday's aren't just for us, they're always a bit livelier with our furry friends, right? So, how would you like to win something for the furry ones?

Well, how much turkey did you end up with as leftovers? What about stuffing? For us, we had a ton of breast meat left over and we couldn't just give it all to the dogs, right? I'm sure they'd have loved it though. Instead, we created two simple and easy recipes with the help of our friends from Wholly Guacamole and Cabot Cheese. Are you ready? Both are simple, easy and absolutely delicious!

Easy recipes made from leftover turkey and stuffing

I have always loved the Cooking Mama games ever since the first one. They were suitable and fun for kids of all ages, yep, even grown up ones. My favorite thing to do was competing against friends and family. It's always a challenge and a close one. This holiday season, Majesco's Cooking Mama has several combo packs perfect for gamers of all ages for the Nintendo DS and Wii.

Cool way to enjoy games at home or on the road!

Now, I consider myself a techie. I love all my gadgets and accessories. I never knew though that there was something called "The Mobile High-Definition Link" (MHL). MHL lets users connect their smartphone or tablet to a DTV, so you can use a large screen and charge your mobile device at the same time. So, you can play in your hotel room! MHL recently launched a site to review App games that would work on bigger screens! Check out their infographic below.

We all have those awkward situations we wish we could have avoided. I seem to have them all the time! And most of the time, it's not even my fault... Anyways, we've got the solution to that right here in a simple book that flips ever so easily to the chapter you need plus a bit of a bonus! It's our weekly mission giveaway and this week for you and a friend, we've got an amazingly useful book and some spending money to Amazon.

Quick, easy #Turkey snacks & #Recipes from Jennie-O

In this household, we love our nachos and tacos. We've always made our own tacos and ordered the Beef steak nachos from our favorite Mexican place. We've never really tried pre-packaged snacks and appetizers in the form of nachos and tacos before. Further, despite how much we loved the nachos, I am always reeling from the amount of calories in each order! Wouldn't it be awesome to find one with a healthier option?

The SO stole my scale #holidaygiftguide

When my EatSmart Precision Elite Kitchen Scale arrived, I had intended on using it in the kitchen. It does say "Kitchen" after all. However, when it arrived, guess what happened? Yep, stolen by the SO. He was determined to weigh his putter and all of our tennis rackets to get a feel of how much they weigh. So, if you're looking for an unique holiday gift for the athlete in your life, this kitchen scale may just be it!

Adorable Holiday @AflacDuck helps Pediatric Cancer #AflacKids #holidaygiftguide @SheSpeaksUp

You know you love to buy gifts that give back. How about 100% back? To kids with the strength and hearts of warriors...Aflac and Macy's has teamed up this holiday season to bring you the Alfac holiday duck, created by pediatric leukemia patient, Monica. 100% of the proceeds from the purchase of this limited edition plush duck goes towards cancer treatment and research for kids.

I'm excited to support #AflacKids & the fight against pediatric cancer. Stay tuned for my blog post about the Holiday @aflacduck!
— Cinny (@CinnyBBS) November 7, 2012

Awesome prizes from the #HolidayGiftGuide US/CAN 12/7 #turkeyhunt

It's time for the yearly Turkey Hunt hosted by The WiC Project. Here on WOS, we're doing 2 prize packages worth $200 of awesome items from our Holiday Gift Guide. Be sure to take a look through the holiday gift guide, there's many more surprises and fun giveaways going on right now!

By now we all know the awesome power of Sea Buckthorn berries, some of which we saw through the SeabuckWonders line review earlier this year. SeabuckWonders has now used these "miracle berries" to create a new Personal Care Line. We were able to get our hands on the Wonder Pack ($99.32), which includes a variety of support for your skin and health!

With the holiday season coming up soon, have you started shopping yet? A girl does need to pamper herself at times and I’ve got several fun and easy beauty products that work quick and have lasting results! Learn how to cut your own bangs and trim split ends in a flash and get that perfect bounce in your hair.

#WordlessWednesday Happy Thanksgiving! #LincolnMovie

Happy Thanksgiving! Just a quick picture from a must-see historical film of the year, Lincoln! Have you seen it yet?

Here's to a safe, happy, and warm Thanksgiving Day with your family!

My spoiler-free Lincoln Movie Review.

Lincoln on Facebook || Twitter || Official LINCOLN site

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided for the purposes of this review. No other form of compensation was received. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure, TOS, and privacy policy. Please take the time to enter my other giveaways while you're here.

Follow WOS:
Google+ || GFC || @CinnyBBS || WOS on facebook || Pinterest || Blog Frog

Until next time,

Karina, a gift you can't go wrong with #holidaygiftguide #fashion

For the woman in your life that loves easy, simple and gorgeous women's fashion, I present my love, Karina dresses. Available in limited edition fabrics that don't wrinkle and feel ever so smooth on my skin, they're quickly becoming my go-to dress.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

It wasn't long ago that I reviewed Just Dance Summer Party and it was so much fun! Just Dance 4 has recently been released by Ubisoft for the Wii, PlayStation 3 (for PlayStation Move), and Xbox 360 (for Kinect). What's different?

You dance and copy the on-screen dancers to the best of your abilities, have fun and work off a good sweat. Ha, my coordination for these games haven't seemed to improve despite my love for them.

#Friends finally comes out on Blu-Ray US/CAN 11/21 #flashgiveaway

Did you watch Friend's back in the day? I watched in spurts. Haha, I don't think I even watched the last episode. If you're a fan though, I've got something for you. Every Thursday this month, there'll be new unlocked Friends Mashup clips.

I'm a strange one, alright. My friends always find it amusing that I want a defined six pack. Well, I'm not saying I want it to be like a guy's six pack but I would love it toned. I already have a bit of definition but I can't seem to get where I want to. Maybe Zumba can help? I heard about Zumba a while back but never got the time to try it but I finally got my hands on the newest Zumba fitness game, Zumba fitness Core, out for the Wii and Kinect. Mwahaha, hello abs, here I come!

2 Gorgeous Totes from Snuggle Bugz 11/23 CAN #MissionGiveaway #PayItForward

Are you ready for another amazing Mission Giveaway. This week, we're all about Canadians! I know you've been feeling left out, so here's a superb sponsor and company that brings you adorable products for your mothering needs. Actually, I'm quite in love with their products myself! My American friends, don't fret...if you've got friends or relatives in Canada, this is the perfect opportunity to enter and win it for them. C'mon, what present helps you ship it directly to Canada with no cost to you, right? And it's a bundle of two so even better!

Hilarious #ConnectingFlights Trailer! #spon

Have you seen the #ConnectingFlights trailer yet? Oh my, it totally cracked me up. I went from:
-Mmhmm, I've had tons of connecting flights before so I can relate to...
-I want to watch this!! to...
-Huh? They're bloggers? That's kinda awesome and hilarious! to...
-OMG, I can't stop laughing! But I still want to see the movie.

Who want's a purse this holiday season? A Vera Bradley designer purse? Mmm...you could get on the good books for winning someone special. Or win it for yourself! Welcome to the Vera Bradley Giveaway hosted and sponsored by Giveaway Promote. This is a fantastic time to win some amazing prizes during the holiday season so check out Giveaway Promote for tons of brand new giveaways every day.

Sexy legs and easy fall #fashion with #DRLegwear #CBias

Have you got glimpses of my tweets lately? Well, this fashionista is gearing up for some fall fashion and my staples include sweater dresses with tights or leggings and boots! I typically love different pops of colors but nothing too crazy but if you want the one pair of legging or tights that will go with essentially any outfit, black or dark gray is your color.

Did you know almost 60% of Americans say they'll donate between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Are you one of them?World Vision's Gift Catalog is back this year with all sorts of unique goodies. When you commit to donating to World Vision, you could be helping to provide education, food, livestock and more. In exchange, World Vision will send you a gift for your kindness that consists of handmade items from Nairobi, Thailand and more.

#ModernGreetings an unique gifting solution #holidaygiftguide

If you're looking for something unique, something personal this holiday season or for any occassion, Modern Greetings may just be your choice. They have photobooks, stationary, labels, and so much more. I contemplated getting stationary but then I noticed they had these super cute photobooks. Not your regular, old photobooks where you place pictures in yourself. These photobooks had a theme, a design, a certain layout.

Asian Enoki Delight #SkilletSauces #Recipes in under 30 minutes

Those Campbell's Skillet Sauces look delicious already, don't they? Oh trust me, they were. I could almost smell the flavors as I checked out each variety. Campbell’s Skillet Sauces are available in 6 different flavors: Creamy Chipotle with Roasted Corn & Black Beans, Marsala with Mushrooms & Garlic, Thai Green Curry with Lemongrass & Basil, Toasted Sesame with Garlic & Ginger, Fire Roasted Tomato with Red Bell Peppers & Chiles, and Scampi with White Wine & Garlic. I'm drooling just typing these names out. Don't you worry, I'm going to make you drool too with my own personally created flavorful Asian-inspired recipe.

Married? Doesn't mean life is over, right? Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married Life features 101 Inspirational stories about fun, family, and wedded bliss. It's the newest self-help, personal book in the beloved series. I love the first line describing the book: “Your spouse may not be perfect but he or she is perfect for you! There are always ups and downs to being in an relationship. Days where everything is great and you wouldn’t want anything different. Days where you fight and you’d rather talk to a mushroom than that person in your life. Point is, no one is perfect but we learn to tolerate each other’s faults and love each other anyways. Married Life

#Disney updates for Oz Great and Powerful and #LincolnMovie

Disney updates are here! The newest news on Disney's Lincoln and Oz Great and Powerful. The new Oz The Great and Powerful trailer is out! The trailers are looking better and better! I can't wait until March 8, 2013.

How to get rid of unwanted hair -#Tria Part 3

So in my own little private beauty salon, I've made it halfway through the Tria Laser treatments. By my own beauty salon, I mean home. It's been nice not having to go have things professionally done because I have my portable Hair Removal Laser. It's my trusty pal that likes to give me a little zap now and again. Consider yourself warned, the following is not for weak stomachs. ;)

Easy, non-permanent ways to decorate US/CAN 11/28 #homedecor

Have you ever wanted to decorate your home without leaving permanent markings? Sticker Hub has gorgeous room sticker kits so that you don't have to make a mess! There's all sorts of themes ranging from sport, teddies, trains, nature, and so much more. Enter to win one of your choice here until November 28th! Watch for a review coming in this post soon.

Norman the Scooter Dog, picture courtesy of Natural Balance

While at Barkworld, we got an exclusive opportunity to interview Norman, the Scooter Dog, thanks to Natural Balance. We went through the questions asked and were able to get the answers for the majority of them. Norman and his mom, Karen, were even gracious enough to perform some tricks off the scooter to show us. Make sure you check it out in the video below.

#SodaStream bubbles and fizzes this holiday season #holidaygiftguide

Soda, or pop as I like to call it, is somewhat a staple in our apartment. We always have it! We also recycle bottles and unfortunately, that means we accumulate mountains of empty bottles in the little area in our hallway. It hasn’t been pleasant. It’s bulky and it gets in the way. BabyPom actually gets scared of the pile and stays away from it. Ha, but now, it is finally cleared up thanks to the SodaStream. Bwahaha, I have my own personal soda maker!

Build your own #WreckItRalph Game Cabinet!

You all know I am in love with the WRECK-IT RALPH movie and I would totally be in heaven if I owned the game. It is my goal to one day have an arcade room. It'd be so cool to have the #WreckItRalph game in it. For now though, I'll have to suffice with building my own Wreck-It Ralph Game Cabinet. Try it out with your own family, it's quite easy! Click the image below to download the file.

With winter quickly coming along, it’s time to pull out the heavy blankets. I’m long overdue for new sheets and duvet covers. Christmas may just have come early for me since DENY Designs delivered me a beautiful piece of artwork and duvet cover, all in one. DENY Designs is a modern home furnishings company that allows you to either personalize your item or use artwork from the DENY Art Gallery. Each purchase has a part of the proceeds going back to the artists, therefore supporting artists worldwide! How I would’ve loved to put the fur babies picture on something! Even though I didn’t, there was such a wide array of designs that it made it hard to choose. I literally spent hours picking and choosing between designs.

#LincolnMovie at the AFI Fest 2012

Lincoln, a movie based 100% on fact which I LOVE, was the closing night Gala screening at AFI Fest 2012. Here are some special images that show you the cast, crew and special guests of this fabulous movie from last night. They were at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA! I walked by there September this year!

As I learnt earlier this year, conferences are wonderful for so many reasons. I enjoy the networking, the new friends, and of course, reconnecting and spending time with old friends. It really is a short and precious few days to learn, connect, and even at times do some good.

Best #Burger #Recipes -"Revival Melt" to revive the Northeast after #Sandy?

Well, Sandy has left millions jilted in it's wake. This week after Hurricane Sandy has been a tad crazy. Many shiver without power, shelter, and food. Mile long lines and people waiting hours in gas lines. Never in the history of New York, or even anywhere I've lived, have I ever seen such chaos...grocery stores shelves close to empty, the public transport system debilitated, lower Manhattan powerless, and the New York Stock Exchange closed for 2 days. Incidences so rare that it's like seeing the Loch Ness or Bigfoot in the middle of the dessert.

Who wants new shoes? US 11/24 #MadameDealsEvents #TOMSBlackFriday

I may be in desperate need of TOMS shoes. I've heard about how comfortable they are and I just tore two holes in the back of my heels today from my dress shoes. *sigh* So, we're going to celebrate surviving Black Friday with a NEW Pair of TOMS! Madame Deals Media has partnered with Autism United for this sweet giveaway where 2 Readers will WIN a pair of TOMS of their choice. Sounds nice doesn't it? It'd be like cushiony slippers on my feet right now.

So I got creative this weekend and combined my poor artistic skills with my culinary skills for a bit of fun and celebration for the opening of my favorite animated film of the year, Wreck It Ralph! I actually tried it twice. The first night, my crust was too thick and the ham I used was too light colored so my design didn't really show up at the end. Well, if you squinted, you'd see it. So I challenged myself again the following night and created a masterpiece! So cute, I didn't dare to cut into it.

Bringing new flair to my hallways US/CAN 11/21 #design #holidaygiftguide

I can't wait for the day when I move into my own home and can decorate the way I like. It's been hard living in a rental apartment the past several years, knowing that I can't alter my place to make it truly me. So, I've always held a fascination with vinyl decoration decals. You know, you stick them on, make your place pretty...simple, right? When you move, you just have to rip them down and they're reusable so technically, you can bring them with you to your new home.

What do you normally do when people around you start getting sick? Well, it does feel a bit awkward to step back and run away, doesn’t it? Halo Oral Antiseptic Spray from Oasis Consumer Healthcare is a new product that is clinically proven to kill 99.9% of infectious airborne germs you breathe in for up to 6 hours. It’s the first and only product in the market that does this. It’s useful because even if someone coughs or sneezes in an environment, germs can last in the air and breathed in.

Charging into #Barkworld -Part 1 of the furtastic fun!

I recently got back from Barkworld, another pet-friendly conference situated in Atlanta, GA. Only this time, I had neither of the pups with me. Honestly, it was such a last minute decision with my chaotic schedule, as usual. I am so glad I was able to make it though! It's been several years since I've been to Georgia and it's still as friendly and welcoming as always. My arrival was somewhat grand with a limo shuttle bus service being sponsored by Bayer. The bus had colored lights, tv screens and a cute little bar! Our greeter quizzed us on cat and dog questions making the shuttle ride short and sweet.

The first thought that crosses one's mind when you think of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is that it's a movie for history buffs. However, I beg to differ. Although, the film details Lincoln's life much like a documentary, there was something different about this film. Perhaps, it was the Disney magic.