Operation Beautiful: Giveaway

It's only appropriate on the day we post all the new info about the Foodie Book Club to announce a book giveaway, right? We're celebrating a pretty big milestone for us: This week, we passed the 2,000 subscribers mark (2,218, to be exact)! I can't even begin to tell you all how thrilled we are that you guys and gals are liking the site. We're changed it quite a bit from the early days back in November 2009 . . . from a Home/DIY blog to one dedicated to Fit Foodies.

We really feel we've hit our stride. Posting content that is near and dear to our hearts is so much fun. And we love all the emails, comments, and tweets about your own journeys toward healthy lifestyles. Keep 'em coming!

Anyway, here's a big THANK YOU. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We hope you'll continue to read (never home)maker and enjoy our recipes/fitness tips/etc.


I'm sure most of you have heard about Caitlin Boyle's recently released book (image source), Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-It Note at a Time. If not, here are some reviews from the Amazon site:

"Operation Beautiful is an amazing book and movement that greatly helps women take control and start slicing out self-hate, stitching up self-esteem, and finally start healing from all the body drama that's making us sick!"
- Nancy Redd, New York Times bestselling author of Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers

"In a time when so many people have their self-esteem and inner sense of wellness determined by plastic and often unrealistic standards, Operation Beautiful guides the way to loving oneself in a wholesome sense and to being the healthiest, best you can be!"
- Jennifer Ashton, M.D., CBS News Medical Correspondent and author of The Body Scoop for Girls

"Operation Beautiful is tea and sympathy, a kick in the pants, and a pep talk from a trusted friend all in one. Caitlin walks the walk and expertly weaves her own deep-held secrets in with life-changing stories of women from all around the world...should be mandatory reading for women everywhere."
- Stepfanie Romine, SparkPeople.com

Even if you already own a copy of this book -- it'd make a great gift! Entering isn't hard -- and selection will be at random (using Tara's Random Number Generator).

Here's the scoop:

THE GOODS: One (1) copy of Caitlin Boyle's book titled Operation Beautiful. Value: Approx $17. Really, though. The stories are priceless.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the word BEAUTIFUL somewhere in the mix.
IN ADDITION: Tell us about one random act of kindness that has impacted your life.
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, September 3rd at 9:00PM EST
PRIZE SHIPS: USA and Canada only.
ALSO: To win, I need your email address -- so please provide it (or your blog link so I can find it -- just some way of contacting you) or, unfortunately, you cannot win.
PS: One entry per email address is allowed. The winners will be selected using Tara's Random Number Generator and announced Tuesday (9/7) morning.

GOOD LUCK!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Birdcage Bohemia -- Giveaway Winner

Hey, everyone. Happy Wednesday! I quite honestly don't know how we're already on hump day -- seems like this week is just breezing by. Anyway, we're happy to announce the giveaway winner to you all this morning. You know, the one who will receive this gorgeous necklace designed just for (never home)maker by Beatrice at Birdcage Bohemia!

The winner is . . . LUCKY NUMBER 13! (Special thanks to Tara's Random Number Generator.)


Our winner is Amy, who is a student living in Nashville, TN. She wrote us: "Oh, my! That's some snazzy bling bling, if I do say so myself. I rarely wear jewelry except for my 3 or 4 necklaces i randomly interchange (I went through a fit two years ago and gave nearly all of my jewelry box away), so I would love a new addition to my newborn jewelry collection." Amy writes the blog Little Wonder, (her "little escape from anything that has to do with [her] daily life") if you'd like to check it out. So, congrats to Amy -- she'll now be the envy of all her friends (and likely 79 of you readers who also participated).

If you didn't win this time around, don't fret. We're close to reaching 1,000 subscribers (966 is the Feedburner count this morning). So, you know when we hit that milestone, it'll be cause for an EPIC celebration.


And be sure to check out some of Beatrice's lovely, eco-friendly works of art (I mean, just look at them -- they're amazing!), at Birdcage Bohemia on the web!

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BirdcageBohemia
Website/Blog: http://www.BirdcageBohemia.com
Email: Beatrice@BirdcageBohemia.com

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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About Ashley

Hi! My name is Ashley + I'm the gal behind (never)homemaker. It seems like such a long time since I started writing in this space -- and a lot has changed.

I'm now 35 years old and have three daughters named Ada, Eloise, and Eden. I mention my kids a lot -- and I have a wealth of pregnancy posts on this site. I got pregnant with Ada on our first try and had an uneventful pregnancy (aside from an angry, irritable uterus). For Eloise, it took much longer and I was introduced to the whole TTC world after having three consecutive miscarriages. We're done having babies now, which is a huge shift in life. I still don't know quite how I feel about it.

Otherwise, I used to muse a lot about being a self-made athlete, as I've been an avid runner the last 17+ years, and self-taught vegetarian + vegan cook. These days, you'll find more posts on how I make major parenting decisions, what toys my kids play with the most, why I save money by shopping at Aldi, and lots of wannabe homesteading stuff.

Thanks for stopping by. For more day-to-day life stuff, find me on Instagram.


WHERE TO START


// Our 90 Best Recipes

// Vegetarian Freezer Month aka Cooking in Bulk

// Make Healthy Eating Automatic 

• Tip #1: Stock up on frozen veggies 
• Tip #2: Buy greens and actually USE them 
• Tip #3: Create simple, go-to meals
• Tip #4: Learn to love alternatives
• Tip #5: Prep, Make, and Store + 20 Ideas for Make-Ahead Meals
• Tip #6: Cheat + Add In: Convenience foods to your advantage
• Tip #7: Eliminate Food Waste + Over-Stuffed Omelet

// Foods for Runners w/ nutrition info + recipes

• b-e-e-t-s
• t-o-m-a-t-o-e-s
• a-l-m-o-n-d-s
• p-u-m-p-k-i-n
• c-u-c-u-m-b-e-r-s
• e-g-g-s
• b-e-r-r-i-e-s
• b-a-n-a-n-a-s
• g-a-r-l-i-c
• q-u-i-n-o-a
• k-a-l-e
• p-e-p-p-e-r-s

// Slash Your Grocery Bills

• Grocery Savings: Shop for 2 Weeks 
• The Every Other Week Grocery Shopping Guide

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +

I have a degree in Writing from Ithaca College and a eclectic career history in marketing, communications, education, freelancing, and libraries. (I think I got everything there.) At present, I work from home and split my days between writing, toddler wrangling, running, etc.

When I'm not writing posts for this site, you can find my words on Writing Chapter Three (all about our family life), Wise Bread, and WalkJogRun. For even more about me, check out these FAQs.

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