giftcard giveaway winners

i've been so excited to announce my winners for my giveaway, i can hardly stand it.
i have to give you a "thumbs up" (hence the picture) for all of your awesome comments and for choosing to follow me! you're the best.
my one regret is that i can't give something to all of you, my readers, my followers, my friends.
if i had my own show (like ellen's or oprah's) called "marci" i would have all of you be my live studio audience- and i'd give you all giftcards, dvd's, cd's, and make-up. yes, lots and lots of make-up.
but unfortunately i don't have my own show.
and so winners had to be picked.
thank goodness for random.org-
so that i didn't have to be the picker. (picking is so un-lady like, anyway).

drumroll please:
announcing my giftcard giveaway winners!!!

1. Nat
2. Lovers
3. Jons and Celeste Leigh
4. Amy
5. Kade & Jess
6. Tiffany Johnson
7. Amber
8. Andi and Scott
9. Anne
10. Lisa Johnson
11. Hilary
12. Lovers
13. Anne
14. Mat and Brooke
15. Lea Tame
16. Michelle
17. Candace
18. Nat
19. Joni and Rico Adams
20. Under the Oaks
21. Rachel
22. Amy
23. Kade & Jess
24. The Oldham's
25. Miss Morgan
26. Andi and Scott
27. Mat and Brooke
28. Jaci
29. Jenna
30. Amy
31. Stephanie
32. Jaci
33. Heidi
34. The Oldham's
35. Kade & Jess
36. Rachel
37. Andi and Scott
38. Hilary
39. Jenni
40. Elysia
41. Amber
42. Heidi
43. The Peterson's
44. Jaci
45. Stephanie
46. Ju and Brack
47. Clay and Jenna
48. Elysia
49. Danielle
50. The Oldham's
51. Ed and Kelli
52. Under the Oaks
53. The Peterson's
54. Lali Johnson
55. Clay and Jenna
56. Kristi
57. Ju and Brack
58. Lali Johnson
59. Tiffany Johnson
60. Miss Morgan
61. Stephanie
62. Lovers
63. Jen
64. Miss Morgan
65. Jen
66. Nat
67. Amber
68. Tiffany Johnson
69. Jons and Celeste Leigh
70. Becca
71. Jarom and Amber
72. Mat and Brooke
73. Clay and Jenna
74. Jons and Celeste Leigh
75. Michelle
76. Rachel
77. Ed and Kelli
78. Becca
79. Danielle
80. Linda
81. Anne
82. Lisa Johnson
83. Candace
84. Lisa Johnson
85. Ed and Kelli
86. Danielle
87. Lali Johnson
88. Lea Tame
89. Jenni
90. Jarom and Amber
91. Alesa
92. Jen
93. Hilary
94. Becca
95. Ju and Brack
96. Joni and Rico Adams
97. Elysia
98. Under the Oaks
99. Jarom and Amber
100. Jenni
101. Joni and Rico Adams
102. Alesa

i wanted to show you the whole list so that you would know that ALL of your comments were accounted for, and that it was completely random!
so, this means that Nat- you are the winner of the Coldstone Giftcard
Lovers, you are the winner of the Barnes & Noble Giftcard
and Jons & Celeste Leigh- you are the winner of the Nordstrom giftcard!

i will be emailing you all today- and would appreciate it if you got back to me by Sunday with your address so i can mail you your goods. if you don't get back to me before then, i will announce an alternate winner.

to everyone else, i love you.
does that make you feel uncomfortable and awkward to hear those three words from me?
well, sorry if it does.
but i do.
i love you, my little blogging world.

i promise to do another giveaway soon. i love giveaways. and i always want to win one myself.
if you have some stuff you'd like me to giveaway (tee hee) let me know...i'd be happy to take it off your hands. :) if not, no worries- i have some ideas up my sleeve. get excited.

again, thanks for reading. sending you all a kiss hug kiss hug!

xoxo

my way of saying THANKS.

ok.

this may seem a tad-bit unoriginal.
but i kept racking and racking my brain for what i would want if i won a giveaway.
would i want someone else's favorite book?
or CD?
or their favorite lip gloss?
or an elmo dvd??

well.
let's be honest.
we'd all happily take anything that is free.
suddenly, when it's free, it has so much more appeal than when it wasn't free.
but--
i reeeaaallyy wanted to thank YOU.

{you can be defined any or all of the following:

my followers.

my readers.

my internet bff's.

my blogging peeps.}

so, my brain told me that the best way to appeal to the differing interests of all of YOU would be to get a couple of giftcards from some of my favorite places so that YOU can pick some things that YOU would like.

so, without further adieu, i present:

my fabulous friday giftcard giveaway extravaganza

one $10 giftcard to Cold Stone (because i am a lactose-intolerant ice-cream-aholic who has tried to replace my salivation for ice cream with frozen yogurt as often as possible but desperately desires nothing more than a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream every day of my existence).

one $10 giftcard to Barnes & Noble (because all i want to do these days is lock myself in my room and read the minutes, hours, and days away).

and last but not least:

one $10 giftcard to Nordstrom (this is my mecca....where i could drop thousands on anything from make-up to jewelry to my personal favorite: shoes).

i hope you're as excited about this giveaway as i am!

how to enter?
for one entry*: leave a comment with your name and email address.
for a second entry*: become a follower! then leave a comment with your name, email address, and let me know that you're following me.
for a third entry*: leave a comment with your name, email address, and tell me: what's your favorite thing to do on a friday night??


*note* please leave SEPARATE comments for multiple entries. thanks!

the fine print:
there will be three winners: one for each giftcard.
these winners will be selected by random.org
you have until Thursday September 24 at 12:00am PST to enter.
the winners will be announced Friday September 25th!

good luck-
happy commenting,
and, again,
thanks for reading!

xoxo

it's this smile...

that makes each

and every day...

a good one.

do you have a smile that makes your day good?

if not, maybe yours will make someone else's good.

and that's good too.

reealllllyyy good.

good.

xoxo

maybe a giveaway?

so, almost exactly a year ago, i did my first blog giveaway.
i loved doing it.
so much, that i did another one.
and now, i haven't done one since.

what's up with that, you ask??

well, giving stuff away for free is a lot easier when you have money :)
no, but really, it does take effort.
it takes thought.
it takes planning.
and i just haven't thought or planned much in the last few months when it comes to my blog.

selfish, i know.

well, today, i was reading my friend joni's blog here. you see, she's doing a giveaway when her followers list gets up to 50.
i thought that was so cool.

you see, i get a lot of people reading my blog.
not really sure why... i mean, i just ramble off about frozen yogurt and how much i love sugar, and how cute little toddling one-year-olds are...and my crazy obsessions with t.v. and random other confessions that i probably shouldn't be telling the cyber-world. but i do. and you keep comin' back. and so i keep on bloggin'.

i could be a little more humble and say that i only blog to journal....and that i don't care about comments or followers or stuff like that.
but saying that just wouldn't be true.
because i like the comments. and i like knowing that people are following me.

again, selfish, i know.

but i like feeling warm fuzzies each time i read what one of you has to say. and i like how i feel knowing that another one of you is following my silly, sometimes pathetic, but completely worthwhile existence. makes me feel loved. and makes me wanna give back to you. hence, the giveaway idea.

SO.

here's what i'm thinkin':
i'm going to run with joni's idea....
you see that little button over there ------------------>
the one that says "FOLLOW" ??
well, click on it.
c'mon you know you want to.
cuz here's the deal:

if my followers go up to 50, i'll do a giveaway on my blog.
and every time my followers go up another 50, i'll do another one.
and another one.
why, you ask?
because i want to reward you for being here.
kind of how a puppy-owner rewards her puppy for doing a cool trick with a yummy bone.

except, i'm not talkin' a pansy-puppy-dog-bone-treat-giveaway...
no no my friends.
i'm thinkin that i'm going to start a segment called "marci's favorites" (inspired by my friend Oprah's favorites) and i'll giveaway a little goodie-bag that includes some of those favorite items.
sound fun?
i think so.
i hope you think so too.
but i can't get givin' until i know you're there.
so, go on, follow me. :)
let me know your thoughts!
until then, i'll be excitedly planning your giveaway goodie bag.

xoxo

Christmas looks like...

{snow out my window}

{Ellie on Santa's lap}

{a prettily trimmed tree}

{presents and stockings}

{including...a present for my holiday blog giveaway winner!}

yes, this is a day late (let me introduce you all to my friend late: late, meet the readers, readers, meet late. hopefully late is just visiting...he's one of those unwelcome guests that just drops in without any notice and opens the fridge without even asking. ugh). but to make up for that, i let my holiday spirit shine, and included all comments, even if they were late, to be entered into my giveaway. so. anyways.

drum roll please:

1. Debra
2. Barbes
3. Alesa
4. JoSue
5. Lali Johnson
6. Lali Johnson
7. Linda
8. Beachbummin
9. Ju and Brack
10. Jons and Celeste Leigh
11. Matt
12. Lindsay Peterson
13. Clay Jenna and JJ
14. Linda
15. Becca
16. Steph and Tony
17. The Oldham's
18. Joni and Rico Adams
19. Cassidy and AE Harris
20. Torrie and the girls
21. Debra
22. Steph and Tony
23. dolls123
24. Puggles
25. Aaron & Ashley
26. Megs
27. Mark
28. Rach
29. Linda
30. Anne
31. Bartonbeat
32. Rachel
33. Hilary
34. Lali Johnson
35. Ed and Kelli
36. Clay Jenna and JJ
37. Kristi
38. Kristi
39. Mike
40. Caleb and Danyelle Heder
41. Puggles
42. Kate
43. Amy
44. Megan
45. Kristi
46. Monica
47. Erin
48. Kristi
49. Kimberly

yes, Debra, that's right, you've WON! you told me you were feelin' lucky...and my randomizer must've known it. now, i obviously need your address (even though we know where you live) so i can send you your goods.

all other readers...this was SO fun. i LOVED all of your comments (as i always do)- you know how to make this little 1/2 cuban's heart swell and feel special. and, of course, don't be sad! i'm sure santa will make all your dreams come true in a short 9 days! (but who's counting??) plus, i promise to do another giveaway soon...like maybe in the bleak month of january.....or february...or march... who knows. but stay tuned, whenever it is, it's sure to be great...and found only here at ballroomandbiscotti.

Merry Christmas!
xoxo

*p.s. i had some comments from people on this giveaway whose blogs i am not invited to. please, pretty please, will you invite me? i don't know how else to contact you other than writing on this thing-a-majig. but then again, i don't want to write my personal email address on my public blog post. what's a girl to do?? suggestions?* xoxo

my crafty, tasty, kitchen-ish, holiday GIVEAWAY!

{sadly for you, i'm not giving away E as part of my giveaway. but she does look very festive, doesn't she???}

remember weeks and weeks ago when i said that i did the unthinkable and i got my "CRAFT ON?" well, my craftiness contributes to my holiday giveaway.

that's right- i'm announcing my holiday giveaway (FINALLY!)

presenting:

a homemade, not-my-idea, cute-to-the-boot RECIPE holder. isn't it lovely? and YES, i actually made this, along with four others, with the women in my relief society. AND ONE OF THEM CAN BE ALL YOURS!!



not enticed yet?

how 'bout an apron to go along with this recipe holder? an apron to inspire and promote all that holiday baking you know you've been thinking about for the last couple of months...some of you dreading it... well, dread no longer, my friends! how can you dread baking when you look so chic doing it?

{as soon as i have a picture of the apron i'll post it....later this evening, perhaps? till then imagine something fabulous}

still not satisfied with this giveaway?

well, fine, i'll throw in one of my favorite recipes (to adorn your recipe holder, of course!), complements of my m.o.l. :
the best caramel corn EVER. if you live by me, i'll even make you some as part of the giveaway.


so let me sum up what's in store for YOU with my holiday giveaway:
a lovely, crafty homemade recipe holder
a cute, sassy apron
a delicious caramel corn recipe
some caramel corn {made by yours truly} to prove the deliciousness of this recipe


how to enter?? just leave a comment by midnight on sunday december 14th. that's it! a comment enters you into the contest. you can enter more than once to increase your chances of winning...but only ONE comment per day, please :)

come on you closet blog stalkers...come out of your comment closets...you know you'd love to win this giveaway!!!

happy commenting! and happy holidays.
xoxo

it's reveal day!

have any of you ever watched clean house? oh man, i'm obsessed. but really, when i think about it, i don't love all the therapy sesh's that niecy nash gives the dirty, selfish people...i don't really like seeing all the scum and garbage spread from floor to ceiling...and i don't like how they convince them to give up all their sentimental stuff, even though it often is crap.

no, my favorite part of clean house is REVEAL DAY. the part where they show how gross and yucky the house once was...and how they transformed it into this beautiful, lovely, clean place. it's like magic. it always motivates me to get myself together. it makes me wish i was a little messier so that clean house could come and save me. sigh.

well, even though my blog wouldn't really be considered in need of clean house...it is in need of a REVEAL DAY! the best part! i get to unveil the winner of my first-ever-blog-giveaway. (say that ten times fast).

thanks to my friend, d-dawg, i used this awesome list randomizer found here. basically, i entered everyone's names..and decided, the name they randomly put as #1 would be my winner.

drum roll please:

this is the list they gave me:

1. Candace
2. Josh & Hilary
3. Aaron & Ashley
4. Melissa
5. Rach
6. Marci & Daniel
7. Debra
8. Mike
9. Kristi
10. Kade & Jess
11. Beachbummin
12. Jason-Cassie-George
13. Randy and Cassi Guthrie
14. Jylaire
15. The Oldham’s
16. Lynne
17. Mark
18. Davis & Quinton
19. Jeff
20. Brittany
21. Lindsaykeller
22. Claysjenna
23. Tiffany Johnson
24. Linda
25. Bookworm
26. Alesa
27. Jons and Celeste Leigh
28. D-Dawg
29. Lea Billings
30. Devin
31. Ju and Brack
32. Amy
33. Steph and Tony
34. Alicia

what does this mean??? i'll tell you what it means:

CANDACE, you are my first-ever-blog-giveaway WINNER! congratulations!! would you mind emailing me your address (marcichapman@gmail.com) so i can mail you YOUR very own october ensemble??

{just a friendly reminder of what you've won!}

thank you to all those who commented. this was so fun! i love you, readers!

didn't win? sad? don't fret, my pet! keep checking back for my first ever HOLIDAY giveaway...coming soon to a ballroomandbiscotti blog near you.

xoxo

get excited..

hope you're as excited as m&m&e are for the reveal of my first giveaway winner! check back tomorrow for updates. no clue what i'm talking about? click here.


xoxo

october giveaway!

today, there are a few things i would like to celebrate:

1. a couple of posts ago, i reached my 100th post. somehow it feels like i have rambled on about things more than 100 times...alas, it's a fun milestone to have hit.
2. a couple of visits ago, i reached 18,000 visits to my blog. what!? seriously.
3. today is october. i love october. it's my favorite month! let me tell you why: i love that it owns my birthday. i love the smells it brings. i love the changes in the weather. i love the beautiful mountains dressed in yellow, orange, and red. i love the decor. i love the costumes. i love the wackiness that comes over the children motivated by one single thing: candy. i love october.

so, since 2 of those 3 things have to do with YOU, my readers, i'd like to say thank you.

thank you for visiting my blog. who knew that people would want to read what i have to say?
thank you for reading about my silly rantings.
thank you for taking the passenger seat in my pregnancy journey...and mommy-hood journey. i know it's been a bumpy, scenic drive.
thank you for your kind, uplifting, encouraging, funny comments. i always look forward to reading what you have to say about my crazy thoughts and my little family.

now, while words are nice and fluffy, i know the true way to say thank you is with presents.

haha, just kiddin'.

but i'm not kiddin' about the present. i want to say thank you by giving away this little october ensemble (to celebrate you + my favorite month).

{tin pumpkin candle holder, little owl dish towel, and...the best part: a big bag of peanut m&ms}

how to enter? leave a comment before midnight on sunday october 5th. i will announce the winner on monday october 6th. anyone can enter! you know you love to win free stuff as much as i do...or maybe you just love receiving mail other than bills (we hate bill in our house).

best of luck...happy commenting...and.. happy october!

xoxo

*update: i just had a great question by my mother-in-law: "how are you going to choose a winner?" to answer that question, i'm going to print off everyone's name who comments, cut them into individual strips, and put them in a hat. then i'm going to let the mr. draw one. so, ike i said, anyone can enter, and anyone can win! thanks for the question, Lynne!*

*updated update: ok, i realize now that i was a little retro thinking i would cut/glue/print, etc the names of my commenters for the giveaway...luckily, d-dawg informed me that i can google "random number generator" and the computer will pick a name for me! that sounds much more legit and chic...thanks d-dawg!*