enter to win

Google Voice – Enter to WIN!

~ thedailydish ~ Leave a comment

My friend Laura is having some issues w/ Verizon.  And it reminded me of yet another reason I love Google.  Google Voice.

When we relocated last year, my husband and I debated the merits of getting a land line through our local phone company.  We’d had one in Philly, for internet access and “emergencies.”  But save for ordering an occasional pizza, we never used the regular phone.  We both have cell phones.  No one – except telephone solicitors and wrong numbers – called us on the land line.  In essence we were paying Verizon $30 a month to be annoyed.   When we moved, we bid it adieu.

Ten months later, we are living in Maine.  We still have our same cell phones, with our same (Philly) numbers.  But thanks to Google, we also have a free local number, which will be ours forever and ever Amen, and for which we pay Google exactly zero dollars a month. For this hefty sum we get:

  • Our own phone number, which rings both our cell phones (and any other numbers we wish to add) simultaneously
  • Free voicemail
  • Free voicemail transcription (i.e., voicemail sent via email)
  • Call screening
  • Voicemail screening (Listen as people leave messages, in real time)
  • and MORE.

Just see for yourself.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua9Q5frlQ2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Yes, it is that awesome. At present Google Voice accounts are by invitation only. The good news? We have one to give. If you’d like it to be yours, please leave a comment below. If you have a compelling reason why we should choose you, include that as well. We will be making our selection Saturday, January 16th, and will announce the winner at that time. Good luck!

It’s beginning to SMELL a lot like CHRISTMAS!

~ thedailydish ~ 18 Comments

It’s the HOLIDAYS!  And for me that means COOKIES!!!!!

As many of you know, I run a low-sodium recipe site – also called THE DAILY DISH.  From now until Christmas, I will be highlighting holiday baking & gift-giving ideas.  AND I AM LOOKING FOR SOME MAGICAL ELVES TO HELP ME.

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe you would like to share with the world??  Do you LONG for FAME AND/OR GLORY?? or simply want to WIN A PRIZE?!

WELL, YOU and YOUR RECIPE could be featured on The Daily Dish.

I am holding a contest now through the end of this week, looking for delicious Christmas cookie and/or candy recipes.  If you have a tried-and-true personal favorite you would like to share, then please LET ME KNOW!  Although my recipe site is devoted to low sodium cooking, Your recipe does NOT need to be salt free.  I will be adapting entries to meet sodium restrictions.  All you need to do is THINK DELICIOUS and let me handle the rest.

To make a submission, please email me: CHRISTY at THEDAILYDISH dot US.  Put “Recipe Contest” in the subject line and be sure to include not only the recipe title, but list of ingredients and step-by-step directions.  If you have a photo you would like to include as well, by all means do so.

I will be accepting submissions now through the end of this week – Friday, December 12th – and YES. You may enter more than once.

ALL of the winning recipes will be announced here, Monday, December 15th, and will be featured on The Daily Dish website – one per day – beginning Monday, December 15th. All winners will be contacted via email, and will receive not only the honor of appearing live on The Daily Dish, but ALSO A FABBBBBULOUS PRIZE!!

So what are you waiting for?? ENTER NOW!

Comment to WIN FREE BOOKS!!!!!

~ thedailydish ~ 5 Comments

The story:

I have inherited a whole boatload of pristine paperbacks from my sister.
She was moving, I was trying to be nice. She favors fiction, I like cookbooks.

The end.

Except now I have four boxes full of books I know I am never ever going to read. They are perched on one of our already-overstuffed bookcases and I am tired of dusting them. These books are lonely and long to be held. I have decided to do like my friend Curly, and turn this situation into a super fun CONTEST! From now until they’re gone, I will offer these books to a lucky winner – three at a time.

UP FOR GRABS in this inaugural contest:

1) The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
2) A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spenser
3) Little Children by Tom Perrotta

I cannot vouch for any of these books – I have not read them personally, but all 3 are in super shape, read only once by my smarty pants sister, and are now looking for a new good home. If you would like them, then please comment below. Entries will be taken through the holiday weekend to give people a chance to enter, and I will select the lucky winner via random number generator first thing Tuesday, May 27th. Good luck & many thanks!

GOOD NEWS!!!

~ thedailydish ~ 8 Comments

Weeeellllll. How’s everyone doing?? ME TOO! It makes sense that my last post was about slacking, b/c it’s been two days and I haven’t been blogging – or even READING BLOGS – at all. Crazy! I know. And I am sorry. I have been thinking about everyone, but that whole “losing my dishwasher” thing really threw me over the edge. I am verrry pleased to announce however, that as of today, we HAVE A BRAND NEW DISHWASHER!!! And it is NOT ME!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to introduce Whirlpool 2. Look how beautiful he is!

WOW! My husband is HOTTTTTTTTTT. And the dishwasher is good looking too!

We did end up buying our new washer from Lowe’s. It was affordable (sort of) and did not leave me screaming inside anymore. So I am so happy. I did however end up having to wash a whole helping heaping of pots & pans.. Not good. I have a terrible time w/ dishwashing liquid b/c my skin is incredibly dry. I am going to have to moisturize like CRAZY to get them back to the level of suppleness they are accustomed to. It is HARD being a housewife, let me tell you.

SO. besides the whole DISHWASHER saga. Today was the first delivery & pickup for our CSA. For those of you unfamiliar with a CSA, it is a Community Supported Agriculture group, a produce co-op if you will, and it is AWESOME. A friend (HOLLA!! J.) and I are co-hostess-ing this year, and since she is away on vaca (hissssssssssss) I am taking the 1st half of the season. I met many lovely people today during pickup hours (and doesn’t THAT sound exciting – hah!) we got a whole delectable array of gorgeous organic veggies, including asparagus, portabello mushrooms and an assortment of greens. For dinner I made pasta w/ sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and it was FABBBBBBULOUS. Yum. Yum. YUmmmmm.

I wanted to remind all of you that tomorrow (or TODAY, depending upon when you read this) – FRIDAY, MAY 9th is your VERY LAST CHANCE to sign up to win a FREE NECKLACE in my (Curly-inspired) Pay It Forward. I am getting very excited to make those beautiful pieces and I am wishing you all the very best of luck at winning them. If you’ve yet to sign up, do so now. Time’s a-wasting! I will be drawing the 3 lucky recipients Saturday morn, once I have shaken off my beauty sleep and fed our huge cadre of animals. Woohoo. It should be lots of fun, since I am going to do a super high-tech *Picking it from a HAT* drawing. WOW. Until then, Good luck everyone!

PAY IT FORWARD – enter to win a FREE NECKLACE!

~ thedailydish ~ 15 Comments

A while back, my dear pal Curly decided to do something called a *Pay It Forward*. Now, I had never heard of this before, but the idea is that you make a homemade gift for a specified number of recipients, and then encourage said recipients to pass another kindness on to someone else….Sending a spiral of kindnesses rocketing out ad infinitum. Pretty sweet, huh? I thought so too. For her P-I-F, Curly sent me some really lovely handmade note cards, and it seemed like such a nice thing that I decided to undertake one myself.

(excerpted from Curly’s blog for simplicity – many thanks Curly):

Here’s how it’s going to work. I will create and send a homemade gift to three people who comment that they are interested in playing along. (The people will be selected through the random number generator if I get more interest than just 3 people.)

I have been making jewelry for 20 years, so I’ve decided to make beaded necklaces for my Pay-It-Forward. The necklaces will be handmade of imported glass beads, with a center drop pendant and silver spring ring clasp in back. They will look like this:

The one above has been done in an array of amber beads, but if you are selected, you will get your choice of any standard color, or even multicolors if you’d prefer.

I will allow entries until a week from today. So FRIDAY, MAY 9th will be your last chance. I’ll select the three lucky recipients next Saturday, May 10th. Good luck!