Printcopia Review and Giveaway

With the help of random.org, our lucky winner is #15 which is rearick7958.  I'll be sending you an email tonight to get your info to send to Printcopia.  Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to our winner.

I love surprises.  I especially love them when they are unexpected.  I came home from work one day to an email from Allison at Printcopia about doing a review and giveaway of a canvas print.  If you read this blog at all, you know this offer is right up my alley.  Of course, I said yes.

I emailed Allison and in no time at all, I had a code for a free 8x10 canvas print.  Now came the really hard part.  How do I choose a picture for a canvas print from the 1000's and 1000's of pictures I have?  It took me awhile, but I finally decided on a family picture from our vacation at the lake this summer.

I went to www.printcopia.com and entered my code and completed the process of making my canvas print.  It was simple as simple could be.  In what seemed like only days, I had my canvas print and it was beautiful.  I loved it and so has everyone who has seen it since.  It is hanging proudly in my family room.  Printcopia also print canvas photos, acrylic prints, panoramic photos, and so much more.

Here is the part where I apologize for not having a picture of my canvas here to show you.  I tried and tried to get a good shot of it, but I couldn't do it justice.  If I got it so there wasn't a glare, the colors were all wrong.  If I got the colors right, there was a glare.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  My canvas print is beautiful. 

Printcopia has sister sites that work much the same as the canvas print site.  They do car magnets, custom banners and cheap signs. 

Now comes the fun part.  Allison gave me an 8x10 canvas print for one of you to win.  To enter, leave me a comment telling what picture you would turn into a canvas print.  This is mandatory.  For extra entries, become a follower of this blog, follow me on Facebook and post about the giveaway.  Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway.  That's three extra entries.  Please leave a seperate comment for each entry and be sure to leave me an email to reach you,  if you win.  I will pick a winner using random.org on the evening of December 7.  Best of luck.

   I received a canvas print to review.   All opinions are my own.

You Capture / Animals

I have been out of the You Capture loop for a bit.

Here's my attempt to get back in.

Here we have Hoss playing a little flag football with the family.

The birds were having a little party at the new bird feeder.

A gull that was just sitting around by the Chicago River.

Animals abound at Beth's

Disney Pixar Brave Review and Giveaway

UPDATE

Using random.org, the winner of the Brave Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition is Leslie.  I will be emailing you soon to get your address to send to get your prize to you asap!  Thank you all for entering.  Stop back next week when I will have another review and giveaway for you.

    The very first Disney princess movie I remember seeing was Sleeping Beauty.  I was around five years old and I was hooked.  I loved Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip.  I loved the fairies, especially Meriweather.  I was introduced to Cinderella and Snow White and loved them as well.  They were all princesses who needed to be rescued. 

    It wasn't until 1989 and I had daughters of my own that Disney princesses began to take on a new attitude.  I remember sitting in the theatre with my three daughters and a friend and her daughter and being very pleasantly surprised at Ariel in The Little Mermaid.  She had a mind of her own and she wasn't content to do what everyone thought she should.  Close on her heels came Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Jasmine in Aladdin.  They too had plans for themselves that didn't include what other people planned for them.  I loved that they had a mind of there own.  They were perfect role models for my girls

    Now, it's 2012 and enter Merida.  She's the newest princess to the Disney collection in the movie, Brave.  Merida is a plucky little thing who not only has a mind of her own, but she doesn't need a prince to complete her.  Merida is a head strong princess who has no patience for her mother's way of finding her a suitor.  Defying her mother, she disappears into the forest and spys will-o'-the-wisps.  According to Scottish tradition,  these unearthly spirits might lead one to his or her destiny.  They lead Merida to a witch who is asked by Merida to change her mother.  What ensues is a chaotic adventure with twists and turns at every junction.

    I watched Brave with my 25 year old daughter and my four year old and six year old granddaughters.  Brave was a hit all the way across the board.  My daughter thought it was ground breaking in some of the content that has never been in a Disney movie before.  The grand kids loved it.  They both had favorite parts.   One of them was one of the parts my daughter thought was ground breaking.  I don't want to reveal too much of the story for those of you who haven't seen it yet.

    I have no doubt that Brave is a movie that we will watch over and over.  It was a beautiful, touching and exciting story with amazing scenery.  The Scottish highlands never looked so inviting.  As with many Disney movies, the end will tug at your heartstrings.  I have come to expect that from Disney and love it.

    The good news is that I have a copy of the Brave Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition  (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy) to give away to one of my readers.  All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me who your favorite Disney princess is and why.  The giveaway will run through Friday, November 9.   The winner will be chosen using random.org.   Be sure to leave me your email in the comment, so I can get in touch with you if you win.   Also, if you comment under anonymous, please leave me your name.

    Best of luck to everyone.  Now, go ahead and comment away!!  

      I received a copy of this film to review.   All opinions are my own.

Notre Dame Trip Pictures with Victory March

Dick and I took a trip to Notre Dame last week to just bum around the campus and take some pictures.  I took a million of them.  I picked an assortment for you to look at while you listen to the Notre Dame Fight Song.  It is getting close to game time.  I can't wait to watch them make it 9 - 0 !!!!

The reflecting pond.

The Basilica.

Inside the Basilica.

The ceiling is amazing!

One last inside shot.

One of the many fountains.

The Golden Dome from a distance.

The lake

Some friends we met on the lake.

The Grotto.  Not the best shot, but I felt like I was intruding when people are there praying.

Read Knute Rockne's statistics.  I don't think you will ever find another coach like that.

The Golden Dome close up.

We saw lots of signs in the windows.  I love this one.  My thoughts exactly!

Dick and I with Lou!

Not the best shot of Touchdown Jesus because it was so sunny that day.

And what's a trip to Notre Dame without a stop at the bookstore.

23 minutes to kick off.  Let's shake down some thunder!!

Go ND !!!!!!