The Great Blog Train Hop & GIVEAWAYS

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The Great Blog Train

A monthly blog hop departing from your online train station on the first Wednesday of every month!

<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/p/great-blog-train.html" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><img alt=" Great Blog Train" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/My%20Blog%20Stuff/BlogTrainNewest300_zpse83d52e1.jpg" /></a>

The Great Blog Train has 7 Engineers

plus a "Destination Co-host"!!

If you link up that means your blog will be seen on 8 different blogs!!!

Please meet our Destination Co-host:

Susan from "Little Shack on the Hill"

This month we will be travelling to:
Campbell River, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Canada)

Also, remember to visit the DINING CAR on one of the Engineer's blogs!

If you are interested in being a Co-host for the Great Blog Train then please click HERE and fill out the form (THANK YOU!!)

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The Great Blog Train's Great Giveaway!!!

1 Lucky winner will win the following:

- $10 Paypal Cash from Angie

- 1 pair of Hand-Knitted Kitchen Cloths from Kaitlyn

- 1 bar of cold processed Soap by Laura

- 1 Sidebar Ad Space from Angie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/search/label/Train/" target="_blank"><img alt="God’s Growing Garden" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aVDtFgf_XCTnWwhjp4N0XLQad60h6WOhGz8y3s72q69PSBTPg1JjG4eBiBE4ExMdNDd7RUvMI1yrMrXMxvVFkV21OnaPmwEVyYRr0PGv3dn5jvMWoWxfc0KslaYeX00DDCNCrF_YEPPG/s1600/BlogTrainFinal+featured+caboose.png"/></a>

Remember to join the fun even if you are running a little late.  The last entry will receive the Caboose Feature! 

February's Caboose and featured blog happens to be:
"Sweet Pea Petite" Congratulations!

EricaRae's blog is a wonderfully inspiring mom blog!  This is how she describes herself & her blog: "I am a full time working mommy of two living in the gorgeous state of Georgia. I love graphic design....crafting and all things BABY! I would love to design something special for your little SWEET PEAS!"
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Linking up to the Train is as easy as

1, 2, 3!

After the Great Blog Train has arrived to it's destination we will be featuring 3 boxcars with the most "clicks".  By linking up you agree to allow us to promote your blog through Twitter, Google+, facebook & Pinterest

Sign up to receive emails about The Great Blog Train

The Great Blog Train HOP: Dinning Car & GIVEAWAY!!

Appetizer: French Bread dipped in Olive oil. 

Soup: Tomato Basil

 Salad:  Organic Garden Salad with Homemade Dairy Free Italian Dressing (click here for recipe)

Main Dish:  Lemon Pepper Crock Pot Chicken (click HERE for recipe)

Sides: Roasted Asparagus

Dessert: Dutch Apple Pie

Beverage: Coffee, Green Tea or Fresh Lemon Water

Grab your meal, take a seat and enjoy the train ride!
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Thank you for visiting the Dining Car - now onto the regular Blog Hop & Giveaway:

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All Aboard!!!

The Great Blog Train

A monthly blog hop departing from your online train station on the first Wednesday of every month!

<a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">href</span>="http://www.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">godsgrowinggarden</span>.com/p/great-blog-train.html" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">img</span> alt="God’s Growing Garden" <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">src</span>="http://i1145.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">photobucket</span>.com/albums/o501/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">AngieOuelletteTower</span>/My%20Blog%20Stuff/BlogTrainNew200_zps7e9c8369.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">jpg</span>" /></a>

The Great Blog Train has 5 Engineers

plus a "Destination Co-host"!!

If you link up that means your blog will be seen on 6 different blogs!!!

Please meet our Destination Co-host:
 Robin from "Redo It Yourself Inspirations". 
This month we will be travelling to the Adirondacks.

Also, remember to visit the DINING CAR on one of the Engineer's blogs!

If you are interested in being a Co-host for the Great Blog Train then please click HERE and fill out the form (THANK YOU!!)

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The Great Blog Train's ninth Great Giveaway!!!

1 Lucky winner will win the following:

-$15 Gift Card to Subway from Lynn

- 2 Lovely Handmade bars of Soap by Laura




There are many ways to enter & then don't forget to link up to the train below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 Remember to join the fun even if you are running a little late.  The last entry will receive the Caboose Feature! 

March's Caboose and featured blog happens to be:

 "Easy Life" Congratulations!

"Meal & Party Planning Services LLC" - This mouthwatering blog is written by two sisters Terri & Shawna who love food, gardening and healthy living.  Their delicious recipes will make your mouth water I guarantee it!  They also have a fun blog hop every Thursday called "Four Seasons Blog Hop".

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Linking up to the Train is as easy as

1, 2, 3!

After the Great Blog Train has arrived to it's destination we will be featuring 3 boxcars with the most "clicks".  By linking up you agree to allow us to promote your blog through Twitter, Google+ & Pinterest

Sign up to receive emails about The Great Blog Train

Life According To Us Lately

Can we say cabin fever here in the great state of Michigan? Although today is suppose to be almost fifty degrees and mostly sunny. Us Michiganders will be joking about hauling out the shorts. I kid you not. Maybe it will give these 4 feet snow mounds a chance to actually melt. We just might be swimming later today, ha ha.

We are over winter faces.
On the brighter side, literally today for once, while dealing with one sick child at the moment praying it doesn't spread to the rest of the house, we all have been doing wonderful.

It finally has warmed up enough for the girls to bundle up and play outdoors in the snow for more than 10 minutes and get all their wiggles out. I forgot what quiet sounded like in my home.

Evalyn is busy losing her baby teeth. We have realized without your two front teeth it's easier to eat an cut up apple rather than a whole apple. Some words are harder to pronounce in the time being. I now have a teething 2 year and 7 year old.

We have a new neighbor next door. God blessed the girls with another friend to play with. Another girl who is their age. Who even goes to my daughters school. Ev was excited since she does not go to the school in the district we live in. Our street is literally going to be ran by girls. Ha ha!

My husband and I have been creating a "home renovation" list. We finally are starting. I didn't realize how overwhelming it is. I will be sharing all that on my blog. Before and after pictures. We will be working on our bathroom, family room in the basement, living room, windows, outside porch, painting walls, replacing doors, fencing. Sounds like a lot huh? All in time.

Lastly, I have been working on some fun ideas for the blog. Currently I am writing and creating a fun series for the blog. Something I keep telling myself I need to start is a blog planner. 

Don't forget to head over and link up at the

TGIF blog & instagram HOP and enter into the 10$ Starbucks GIVEAWAY!!

  

                     

TGIF BLOG & instagram HOP + 10$ Starbucks Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!

Welcome to the TGIF Hop!

Welcome back! 

Lets celebrate making it through another week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
You may link up any post.
 Remember, visiting other blog and/ or instagram links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week, starting Friday morning to Wednesday morning.

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.
Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely giveaway! Don't forget to enter in todays first GIVEAWAY!! It is a 10$ Gift Card to Starbucks. Who doesn't love being able to get a couple free drinks from Starbucks?!

RULES
1. Follow your host and cohost blog's via GFC or BLOGLOVIN
2. Please Follow the hosts and cohost on Instagram if you link up your account below.
3. Leave a comment stating that you are following so we can follow you back and get to know you! Sometimes it can be hard to know which is a new follower and we don't want you to think we're rude.
4. Tweet the hop below to help us grow. It's greatly appreciated. 
5. Be social.  Meet new friends. 

 Would you like to be the next TGIF co-host and receive a spotlight? This hop is free.

Fill out this Co-Host form here

Meet your hostess:

               

Photo credit: Starbucks

    
  a Rafflecopter giveaway 
Meet this weeks Co Host!
Want to be Our next CoHost?  

Tweet about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

                      

10 Reason Why My Family Loves Lemon Water

One of our favorite drinks in our house hold is lemon water. It's so simple and always quenches our thirst. Not only does it satisfy our taste buds it also benefits my families health. Therefore I am so glad they actually enjoy lemon water.

As a mother I love the fact it only takes a minute to prepare. All you literally have to do is slice your lemon and drop it into your cold or warm water. Which ever you prefer. We prefer cold.

Many may think it's a drink for the hot summer months. But actually there are many health benefits behind it. We drink lemon water all year round. We especially love it when we feel a scratchy or sore throat coming on.

Here are some extra benefits why my family loves lemon water!

1.Helps promote healing.

2. Aides in digestion.

3. Helps with bloating.

4. Helps boost your immune system.

5. Relieves Respiratory infections.

6. Helps aid throat infections.

7. Healthier skin.

8. Healthier PH balance.

9. Helps water intake.

10. (hot) lemon water can relieve cold and flu symptoms.

TGIF BLOG HOP + Valentine's Day GIVEAWAYS!!

Welcome to the TGIF Hop!

Welcome back! 
Since today is Valentine's Day feel free to LINK UP your Valentine's day post!
And don't forget to enter in the GIVEAWAY!

Celebrate with us getting through the week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
This is a no rule blog hop, link up any post. Remember,
visiting other links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week, from Friday morning to Tuesday morning.

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.
*Please be kind enough to follow your hosts and cohost GFC, Bloglovin or some form of social media. Comment to let them know so we can follow you back. 

 Would you like to be the next co-host and receive a spotlight?

Fill out this Co-Host form here

Meet your hostess:

               

     Meet this weeks Co Host!  

This week I am excited to have a dear blogging friend of mine co host with us!

My name is Angie Ouellette-Tower and the purpose of this blog is to help fellow “backyard farmers” in
their varying degrees of experience.  I am a Christian and I believe that we need to be good stewards
with what God provides.BLOG MOTTO:  Plant, Grow, Harvest, Preserve, Consume and Enjoy

Coffee Cozy Giveaway. Red didn't like the picture too well. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give starts Friday the 14TH at midnight and will end Friday Feb. 21st at midnight. Must be 18 years of age to enter. Must be a US citizen in the lower 48 states. Please see my GIVEAWAY page for more rules and details about my giveaways. Thank you.
Tweet about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

                        

GIVEAWAY: A Beautiful Crocheted Chunky Cowl!!

Free Giveaway!!

This week on the blog I am excited to host this lovely giveaway for my readers. It is a Crocheted Chunky Cowl From Crochet Medley. Perfect for the yet still brisk winter months and still yet ahead spring months.  

I would like to introduce to all of you Erin from Crochet Medley. She crocheted a beautiful chunky cowl from her shop for this weeks giveaway. Don't forget to visit her shop by clicking the link above and browse her other cute items she has for sale in her shop.

 You must be 18 years of age to enter into this giveaway. Must not be under 17 years of age. You must be a legal US resident with a US postal address for the item to be shipped to. I'm truly sorry to exclude my international readers. I really do appreciate all of you! But at this time international laws for shipping and the pricing can become difficult. 

This giveaway Starts today Tuesday Feb. 11, 2014 and will end at midnight on Saturday Feb, 15, 2014. That means you have 5 days to enter. Please note that some entry's you may do once daily. 

How the winner is chosen: The winner is chosen randomly. Once the winner is chosen I will then announce the winner the next day's blog post, instagram if you followed and my blogs facebook's page if you liked it. If you provided me with an email I will also be kind and email you. 

Mechanic issues: Please notify me if you have any issues by email. You can find the link above on my homepage. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

How To Host A Proper Giveaway: GIVEAWAY!! Included (Neck Cowl!)

When I first started blogging I was afraid to start doing giveaways on my blog. Once I started to gain some actual knowledge about blogging I figured I knew enough to finally do my first giveaway. I thought wrong.

 After researching I thought now would be the perfect time to write a post sharing with you how to host a proper giveaway. Not a successful giveaway. I will write one for that soon. Before you worry about hosting a successful giveaway you should learn about the proper fundamentals behind a giveaway. Reason being believe it or not there are laws and rules for blogging, giveaways, pictures, ETC. honestly I could really be here all night writing. Please note I am nothing close to a lawyer therefore I am not going into the legal side of terms. With that being said here's how to host a proper giveaway. Please take full advantage of this post.
How To Host A Proper Giveaway

1. Item: Name the item that you are giving away. A brief description is always nice to intrigue your readers. I always name the item and introduce the company or small business owners. 
2. Who is allowed to enter? Make sure you state in your giveaway the minimum age of your readers who can enter into your giveaway. For instance, I always say my readers have to be at least 18 years of age and older to enter. Also make sure you state where you can enter from. A lot of bloggers have giveaways that allow only the lower 48 states. Also note to include those who not included in the giveaway. This is important because the blogging world, get it, world is huge! People will enter from all over sometimes. Therefore make sure you mention where you are willing to pay for shipping. If you do not know cost of shipping, I suggest that you do your homework. Even shipping to Canada and Alaska can be pricey. 
3. length. Let your readers know when it starts and ends. The typical time for a giveaway on a blog is 5 days. 
4. How to enter into the Giveaway. Of course there are many ways to have our readers enter into a giveaway. Make it clear to your readers how to enter into your giveaway! Although simple is better. Write a small simple list. Think of it as you are trying to save your own butt. Yes I said butt!
5. How the winner is chosen? Explain how the winner of your giveaway will be chosen. 
6. Mechanical issues. If something were to happen with the giveaway allow your readers to know what will happen.

Now that you have all the knowledge how to host a proper giveaway, take a moment and see my real live example below. Also of course ENTER!

Free Giveaway!!

I would like to introduce to all of you Erin from Crochet Medley. She crocheted a beautiful chunky cowl from her shop for this weeks giveaway. Don't forget to visit her shop by clicking the link above and browsing her other cute items she has for sale.

I have always been considered a crafty person, so I decided it was time to open up shop and thus Crochet Medley was born. I am a Michigander, Married with two beautiful children and furbabies. I'm a self taught crocheter and my grandmother taught me to knit. I also enjoy the Air Force, Currently I am a stay at home mom and housewife, and I really do enjoy it. My favorite things to crochet are afghans, hats, and kitchen/bath items.

Enter to win this beautiful crocheted Chunky Cowl. Perfect for the cold lasting months or even the early spring days yet ahead. 

You must be 18 years of age to enter into this giveaway. Must not be under 17 years of age. You must be a legal US resident with a US postal address for the item to be shipped to. I'm truly sorry to exclude my international readers. I really do appreciate all of you! But at this time international laws for shipping and the pricing can become difficult. 

This giveaway Starts today Tuesday Feb. 11, 2014 and will end at midnight on Saturday Feb, 15, 2014. That means you have 5 days to enter. Please note that some entry's you may do once daily. 

How the winner is chosen: The winner is chosen randomly. Once the winner is chosen I will then announce the winner the next day's blog post, instagram if you followed and my blogs facebook's page if you liked it. If you provided me with an email I will also be kind and email you. 

Mechanic issues: Please notify me if you have any issues by email. You can find the link above on my homepage. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

200 GFC Followers Giveaway!!

Welcome to my first giveaway. I figured why not celebrate gaining 200 GFC followers on the blog. And of course thank you to all my viewers as well. First off thank you for taking the time to follow and read. I honestly took me a few days to think what could I give away? I wanted it to be somewhat personable. Therefore...

I am so excited to introduce Leigh at Miss Lovely Stitches to my viewers. She does amazing work and is very creative. Not to mention she is very easy to work with and timely. Head over to her facebook page to view more of great her work. 

MissLovelyStitches: https://www.facebook.com/MissLovelyStitches?ref=br_tf

Check a few pieces of her work below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway