Gold Canyon Candles - for a Good Cause and a giveaway (candle and $10 Amazon card)

 

 

Many of you across the country (and world) have heard about the recent tragedy to befall us here in Prescott, Arizona.  Nineteen members of our local twenty-man Granite Mountain Hot Shot crew were killed in the Yarnell fire on June 30, 2013.  Hundreds of buildings and structures burned in that same fire, displacing many people.  It has been a really emotional time for us here.  At the same time I'm so proud of how our small community has banded together to show our support and raise money for the families of these fallen heroes as well as the many people that have lost their homes and businesses. 

 

I would like to do my part to help.  As a Gold Canyon Candles consultant, I have the ability to donate my commission.  I set up a Hot Shots Benefit party on my Consultant site at www.jennifergolub.mygc.com  I make 25% on all sales.  For the entire month of July, I am giving my entire 25% commission to the following two organizations:

 

 

1. The Yarnell Community Presbyterian Church has set up a special account to accept donations to help Yarnell and Peeples Valley residents as they return to their homes. Checks can be made out to Yarnell and Peeples Valley Recovery Fund at National Bank of Arizona or people can move their donations electronically. The routing number is 122105320 and the account number is 7600002730.


2. The United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association, together with Prescott Fire Fighters Charities, has established a 501©3 relief fund at any Chase bank. Ask for the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association Account set up to benefit firefighters' families. Visit www.yarnellfallenfirefighters.com for complete information. Donors may donate to this account using PayPal or mail their donations to UPFFA, 61 E. Columbus, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. All of the tax-deductible contributions will go to the firefighters families. The site states donations may also be made through the 100 Club or the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.




I am dividing the money equally between both organizations because I want to help not only the families of the fallen heroes but the families who have lost their homes and businesses as well. To find out more ways to help visit the article at the Prescott Courier

I do not make any money from this, and do not benefit from these sales in any way.  All of my commission goes right two these accounts.

If you purchase you not only get great home fragrance items, but also help out a very worthy cause.

As an added bonus, because this cause is so important to me - anyone that makes a purchase in the month of July will be entered into a drawing to win a Small Heritage Candle in the scent of your choice (over 40 scents to choose from) and a $10 Amazon e-gift card.  If you order, please send me an email waitingonsundaytodrown @ gmail dot com to let me know you're name and that you ordered.  I will choose a winner August 1st, and announce here on my blog. 

Here is a sampling of what Gold Canyon Candle's has to offer:

 

 This is just one of the many combo deals Gold Canyon Candles is offering right now.  Bella candle and a 4 pack of votives.

  Heritage Candle, wick trimmer, and wick dipper. 

  These spa products feel and smell amazing.  The hand cream is one of my mom's absolute favorites.

 

  These Road Trip Souvenirs candles smell amazing.  Choose from Niagra Falls (blue) Catalina Island (red) or Sedona (tan).  They all smell great, but Sedona is AMAZING! 

These spur votive holders are cowgirl cute.

  Starburst candle holder that can also be hung on the wall, as a decoration

  Isn't this a pretty idea?  Heritage candles also come in unscented, for those that cannot have fragrance.

  Gold Canyon Candles donates 100% of all profits from all Candles for Kids Candles to the Prayer Child Foundation. 

Gold Canyon Candles donates a portion of all Support our Troops Candles to Operation Homefront.

 

Gold Canyon isn't just about candles - we also sell green cleaning products (they just so happen to also smell amazing!)

 

 

2013 Reading Challenges Update (half year progress)

For 2013 I signed up for several challenges here (and countless others on Goodreads).

For the Outdo Yourself Challenge I am at 110 books so far for 2013.  In 2012 I read 212 books, so I'm more than half way there.  See the Goodreads Challenge button on the side bar to see the books I've read so far.

Men In Uniform Challenge Read 2/5

Dystopian Challenge Read 7

Paranormal Challenge - I've met quite a few of the categories, but still have aliens to go for sure.

Ebook Challenge - read 47 so far.

Stacking the Shelves (7/11/13)

 

 

It's been quite awhile since I've posted one of these (or anything period, but I'll get to that later).

 

 

Last month we made a trip up to Bookmans which is an awesome place where you can take your books to trade in for cash or credit.  I am partial to the Flagstaff store (they have several throughout Arizona) because they are always really nice, take more books than the other stores, and are so helpful.  We had been saving our books up for about six months and we ended up getting $192 in store credit.  Since my shelves are close to overflowing already, I only got a few books and let my boyfriend and the kids get the most books.  We got to the counter with over $200 worth of books, and they gave us a 10% discount because the kids were with us.  So not only did we get a ton of books, but I also ended up with $20 store credit for next time we go up.

 

My haul from this trip includes:

 

P.S. You can get Waiter Rant for only $1.99 for Kindle this month.  Click the link to easily find it.

Other books purchased either online, for my Kindle, or at random stores include:

Review: Confessions of a Scary Mommy by Jill Smokler

Synopsis:

Sometimes I just let my children fall asleep in front of the TV. In a culture that idealizes motherhood, it’s scary to confess that, in your house, being a mother is beautiful and dirty and joyful and frustrating all at once. Admitting that it’s not easy doesn’t make you a bad mom; at least, it shouldn’t.

If I can’t survive my daughter as a toddler, how the hell am I going to get through the teenage years?

When Jill Smokler was first home with her small children, she thought her blog would be something to keep friends and family updated. To her surprise, she hit a chord in the hearts of mothers everywhere.

I end up doing my son’s homework. It’s wrong, but so much easier.

Total strangers were contributing their views on that strange reality called motherhood. As other women shared their stories, Jill realized she wasn’t alone in her feelings of exhaustion and imperfection.

My eighteen month old still can’t say “Mommy” but used the word “shit” in perfect context.

But she sensed her readers were still holding back, so decided to start an anonymous confessional, a place where real moms could leave their most honest thoughts without fearing condemnation.

I pretend to be happy but I cry every night in the shower.

 The reactions were amazing: some sad, some pee-in-your-pants funny, some brutally honest. But they were real, not a commercial glamorization.

I clock out of motherhood at 8 P.M. and hide in the basement with my laptop and a beer.

If you’re already a fan, lock the bathroom door on your whining kids, run a bubble bath, and settle in. If you’ve not encountered Scary Mommy before, break out a glass of champagne as well, because you’ll be toasting your initiation into a select club.

I know why some animals eat their young.

In chapters that cover husbands (The Biggest Baby of Them All) to homework (Didn’t I Already Graduate?), Confessions of a Scary Mommycombines all-new essays from Jill with the best of the anonymous confessions.

Sometimes I wish my son was still little—then I hear kids screaming at the store.

As Jill says, “We like to paint motherhood as picture perfect. A newborn peacefully resting on his mother’s chest. A toddler taking tentative first steps into his mother’s loving arms. A mother fluffing her daughter’s prom dress. These moments are indeed miraculous and joyful; they can also be few and far between.” Of course you adore your kids. Of course you would lay down your life for them. But be honest now: Have you ever wondered what possessed you to sign up for the job of motherhood?

STOP! DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU RECITE THESE VOWS!

I shall remember that no mother is perfect and my children will thrive because, and sometimes even in spite, of me.

I shall not preach to a fellow mother who has not asked my opinion. It’s none of my damn business.

I shall maintain a sense of humor about all things motherhood.

Sound interesting?  Get your copy at Amazon Confessions of a Scary Mommy.

About Jill:

Jill Smokler is the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of A Scary Mommy (April 2012) and Motherhood Comes Naturally (And Other Vicious Lies) (April 2013) as well as the owner all things Scary Mommy.

Jill’s honest take on parenting has appeared in numerous publications and on television programs, including The Today Show, The New York Times, Good Morning America,Nightline and CNN. The website averages over 3 million page views a month and the Scary Mommy Twitter feed keeps over 310,000 followers entertained daily, including Tori Spelling, Nicole Ricci, Cynthia McFadden, Holly Robinson Peete and President Obama. TheScary Mommy Facebook page boasts over 89,000 active fans.

In February of 2011, The Scary Mommy Confessional was born. The Confessional offers a private and totally anonymous forum where moms and dads can spill their juicy secrets, their fears and more. Since its launch, the Scary Mommy Confessional has already garnered more than 330,000 confessions from women and men looking to tell somebody that secret that is eating them up inside. The Scary Mommy Community  is a vibrant and thriving meeting place for over 10,000 moms to discuss everything from their fussy babies, to biggest pre-baby regrets to nightmare mother-in-laws. 

Scary Mommy Nation, a 501(c)3 charity helps members of the Scary Mommy Community who are financially struggling. It was born from an impromptu Thanksgiving fundraiser and has gone on to offer grants of several thousand dollars to moms in dire need, birthday presents to kids who otherwise would have gone without and summer assistance programs.

Jill lives in Baltimore with her college sweetheart and three kids (Lily, 9, Ben, 7 and Evan, 5.)

Confessions of a Scary Mommy is one of the most entertaining books that I have read so far this year.  I am a part time mommy to my boyfriend's kids.  I have none of my own, and there are a lot of instances where I'm just winging it.  I love my boyfriend's kids with all my heart, but sometimes they drive me crazy.  I wondered if full time regular moms felt that way.  I wondered if my mom ever  felt this way.  I have also found myself saying things my mother said to me that I always swore I was never going to say when I had kids.

It seems like everyone has advice on how to be a mommy.  There are tons of parenting books on how to be the perfect mom and raise perfect kids.  These books are unrealistic because there is no such thing as the perfect mother or the perfect child.  I love that Jill Smokler wrote a book, and fostered a mommy blog community where it is OK to be imperfect.

Jill's book is full of her experience as a mother as well as anonymous confessions from other mom's on her blog Scary Mommy Community .  Jill covers everything from pregnancy and after.  Her experiences are funny, honest and relatable on many levels, whether you're a biological mom, adoptive mom or stepmom, there is something you can relate to.  I read this book in one sitting and then read it again.

This book is one I will most likely read again and again - any time I'm starting to feel a little over-stressed, need a good laugh, or just need to not feel like I'm going through these experiences alone.  I recommend it to mothers everywhere and those considering being a mother.

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Sorry it's been quite around here lately.  We had problems with both computers at the same time.  What a hassle.  Things will be getting back to usual, and I have some things to catch up on including March RAK wrap up.