(in)courage (in)RL Beach Party

Have you checked out the (in)courage community? It is an awesome sight with some great writers, speakers, mentors, and encouragers. I love reading this sight every day. It is a great online community, but they are changing things up a bit this spring....

"We love the online world, but there's only so far a comment box can go to connect us. We're looking forward to stepping through blog posts and into each other's real lives - on April 27-28 and beyond. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of connecting (in)courage in real life." ~taken from their webpage~

They are hosting a day of (in)courage meetups all around the country and globe with a webcast for everyone to watch. They are encouraging friends to open up their homes and invite others to gather and watch live webcasts of (in)courage contributors and community. What an awesome way to connect with others who may be in close proximity to you! This event is called (in) Real Life and it takes place April 27th and 28th all over the world!

You can go here to register for the event or here to learn more about the event.

Happily Ever After

It is often said that God's timing is always perfect. Over Christmas break, I was once again reminded of this fact that yes indeed God's timing is perfect. While the kids were out of school for 2 weeks, my husband was off work and I only had to work 2 days the entire break. So we all spent a lot of time together. A. Lot. Of. Time. We were really starting to get on each other's nerves. Fuses were very short, quick nasty comebacks were being said, and we found ourselves annoyed from the time we woke up to the time we went to bed. Then what should appear on my doorstep the beginning of the 2nd long week together but this book Happily Ever After. How ironic I thought!

I have to admit that so far my favorite section (so far) is the one on conflict resolution. I have been married 14 years and we have had our fair share of conflict. I can always use help in this area. I tend to be a conflict avoider until I erupt, then things get crazy!! This book is a great reminder of why conflict needs to be dealt with and not swept under the rug.

My second favorite part of the book is towards the end. There is a section called What I wish my wife would change & What I wish my husband would change. I read this part to my husband one night and it was uncanny how much it sounds like the "lists" we make in our own heads about each other! It is nice to know our relationship is normal and other couples feel the exact same way. This is designed to stimulate conversation with your spouse and to come up with ways to make positive changes in your relationship.

This book will definitely be added to my marriage book section that I share with girlfriends who are struggling with their marriages.

*I was provided a book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are mine.*

Purex UltraPacks

Have you heard of the new Purex Ultrapacks laundry detergent? Probably not, because they will not be on the store shelves until February 2012. As a Purex Insider, I was given the chance to try these little packs out before everyone else! I was so excited when my pack arrived. They are very convenient to use (no measuring laundry detergent and no spills). I was skeptical about the packet dissolving in water, so I checked the first one after adding it to my washer, and sure enough, the packet opens up and the detergent oozes out. Even in cold water! So easy, I would trust my 10 year old to start a load of laundry all by himself!! These Purex UltraPacks are safe for all washing machines including HE machines. One thing to remember is to make sure your hand are completely dry before handling the pack, otherwise there will be a mess. One more exciting thing about Purex, is that in mid February FreePurexSample.com will be back up and running. So you can snag a free sample of Purex UltraPacks and see how great they are for yourself!

As a Purex Insider, I was given a free sample of their laundry detergent so I could write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Purex and Jockey....A Winning Combination and a GIVEAWAY!

**Contest closed** Congrats to the winner Jessika C.!!

You may or may not know that I am a Pure insider. What exactly does this mean? It means I get to try out the newest Purex products, give my opinions back to the company (which I love to do!), I get to tell my friends about Purex products, I get coupons to give away to my friends (you want to be my friend now, don't you!), and I get to post reviews and host giveaways on my blog! All of these are things I love to do.

So when Purex sent me a bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener in the tropical splash scent and a Jockey Tech Terry Performance sports bra, I was totally pumped. It made me want to workout and get all sweaty and then wash my new sports bra with the tropical splash fabric softener! Which by the way, I totally did!

Here are some facts about Purex Crystal fabric softener:

*it is a natural way to freshen clothes that lasts for weeks!

*it goes in at the start of the wash

*the scent is infused with your laundry the entire wash cycle

*it does not contain oil, so it is safe for all clothing including my new Jockey sports bra!

Here are some facts about the Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra:

*has moisture-wicking to keep you dry & cool

*has a convenient key pocket

*has breathable mesh panels

*has a soft bottom band for comfort & support!

My other favorite thing about Jockey is that their spokesperson is the very talked about Tim Tebow! You can't go anywhere these days without people talking about Tim and the Denver Broncos...both of which I am a huge fan!!

Now if you've read through this whole post, here is the best part. I get to pick one winner to get their own Jockey sports bra and Purex crystals. Here's how to enter:

*Visit Purex and leave a comment with the scent of purex crystals you like the best

*Become a follower of Denise's Reviews for an extra entry! Just leave a comment stating that.

Contest ends Sunday, January 29th at 10 PM. I will email the winner on Monday.

The Christmas Singing

Please go check out Cindy Woodsmall's Amish fiction book The Christmas Singing

You can also get 30% off and free shipping on The Christmas Singing (and any other title) when you use the promo code CHRISTMAS11 at checkout on WaterBrookMultnomah.com. The coupon code expires on December 20th, 2011. This is one of my favorite Christian publishing companies!!

I love my new Meijer Photo Canvas!!

It just so happens that we had family pictures taken the end of October by Joel Cookston. It just so happens that the photos rocked! It just so happens that my kids look like rock stars. And it just so happens, I got a free 11x14 photo canvas from Meijer courtesy of BZZAGENT. Having this photo canvas made couldn't be easier. I just took the photo CD from our photo shoot to my local Meijer, sat down at the self-service computer, and in a matter of 5 minutes my order was placed. It took one day for my order to arrive at the store. I picked it up and fell in love! My kids look so good! Now to decided where to hand this beauty. I may just have to order a whole wall of photo canvas pictures!

*I am a member of BZZAGENT and was provided a coupon to get a free photo canvas at Meijer from them*

You Can Win!!

Starting on November 29^th until December 24^th at the New Living Translation Facebook page we're giving away lots of great prizes and something free for you just for singing up.

By visiting the giveaway entry page (located on the NLT Facebook page, the link is under the profile picture) and entering your name and e-mail address you'll be entered to win the following prizes:

• One random person each day will win a Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (Guys Life Application Study Bible hc, Girls Life Application Study Bible hc, Student's Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible Large Print hc).
• One Random person each week will win an Apple iPad 2!

Everyone that signs up gets a free download copy of the Life Application Bible Study Book of Luke!

Check it out and maybe win!!