Happy Halloween!
Before I get to part 1 of the giveaway, I want to share a last-minute Halloween idea.
I present to you: Spooky Shakes…
They are more homely than scary, but let’s just go with it!
I spotted this on Martha and I thought it was a cute idea. To make: all you do is melt a tiny amount of chocolate (about 1-2 tbsp) and then paint chocolate ghost faces on the inside of the glass using the end of a popsicle stick. Easy.
Place the glasses in the freezer or fridge to set the chocolate. For the shake, I blended vegan vanilla ice cream (I love almond or coconut varieties), with a splash of almond milk and some ice, served with a cinnamon stick. You could even make a healthier shake by blending frozen bananas with almond milk. The chocolate faces stay intact thanks to the cold smoothies.
Now, for part 1 of the giveaway…
Today, I’m celebrating YOU – the kick-butt, Green Monster chuggin, recipe-lovin’ Oh She Glows community! On October 31, 2008, I started the blog on a complete whim, not thinking I would ever have the attention span to stick with it, but here I am 4 years later still smashing my head against the keyboard daily and chasing my dreams. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who read the blog each day and my hope is that you find as much inspiration here as I’ve found in all of you.
Now, to celebrate!
1) Blendtec Total Blender & Twister Jar
Blendtec has been gracious enough to donate one of their coveted Total Blender Classic Wildside machines (picture above) valued at $454.95 USD! Whoa baby. I’ve reviewed the Blendtec before on the blog and I can attest that it’s a great machine.
About the blender: “Total Blender Classic Series® is the all-in-one appliance that makes smoothies, fresh juice, ice cream, milkshakes, cappuccinos, margaritas, soups, sauces, bread dough, dressings, salsas, and more! It replaces up to 9 other appliances with one fast easy-to-use machine, at a fraction of the cost. This package includes the new precision tuned 4″ blade in the large nearly 3-quart total capacity BPA-free jar. The new large blade / large jar combination powers through tougher blending tasks and larger recipes with ease, and in less time.”
In addition to the blender, they are also giving away a Twister Jar (shown below) valued at $119.00 USD!
About the Twister Jar: “Blendtec’s newest innovation, the Twister Jar, is designed to blend your thickest recipes such as: Nut Butters, Hummus, Baby Food, Dips, Thick Shakes, Dressings and more! Best of all, it’s compatible with all Blendtec Home Blenders.”
Update: The giveaway winner is….
Thank you for sharing your touching (and often hilarious!) “lessons to my younger self” comments. If you are ever feeling down and need a pick me up, just read through the comments. It’s amazing to see how many of us have struggled with the same life lessons.
The lucky winner of the Blendtec machine is #3659 – Alicia Woulfe! Congrats! I will email you shortly to collect your mailing address. Thanks to everyone for participating!
How To Enter:
Giveway is now closed.
I re-pinned a recipe – Stuffed Portabella Pizza. Yum!
Dear younger self, Go to university now! You’ll figure it all out when you get there but just get there!
Dear Young Tristin, Never watch ‘Child’s Play’ or anything containing Chucky.
Let’s see…I would tell my younger self that it’s okay to make mistakes and to accept that they’ve been made.
Tweeted!
I would tell my younger self to just have fun. Being way too serious and worried doesn’t help yourself or anyone else around you. Life is good and I wish I had listened to that mantra more in my younger days.
I tweeted!
I pinned!
I would tell a younger me to not sweat the small stuff, live in the moment and make the most of that moment.
I want that blender! :) I would tell my younger self to put down the chips and go on a walk. The walk will make you feel better instead of worse.
I would tell myself to stop worrying about the future so much. Everything will work out in the end.
I tweeted!
Advice to my younger self: Nobody is better than you. Nobody is worse than you. Believe it or not, on the inside, they’re all struggling just as much as you are. Some of those people watching you aren’t thinking you screwed up, they’re thinking they wish they were brave enough to do what you just did.
I tweeted this as @MaffyewBarker
Brush your teeth more often
I would tell my younger self to never settle and to just breath!
I would tell my younger self to not be so afraid of failure that it prevents me from trying. Life is to be lived well, not lived “perfectly.”
Advice to my younger self: Stop stressing out about every little things. Be a child. You have the rest of your life to be an adult.
I would actually tell my younger self to have more fun!
I also Tweeted it: https://twitter.com/stacyspensley/status/264276705013809152
I would tell my younger self that failure is okay and that accepting help from people is okay. I have spent a lot of years beating myself up for making mistakes (and continuously dwelling on past mistakes) and it’s just not worth it. I would tell her that it’s okay that you’re not perfect and that it’s okay to admit that you can’t do everything on your own. And I would tell her that you can’t please everyone. It took me many years and lots of time and energy to understand that sometimes things just don’t go the way you plan, but that’s no reason to quit or get frustrated or beat yourself up. You have to accept that it’s happened, take from it when you can, learn and move on. Everything that has happened to me, good or bad, painful or not, has led me to the place where I am now – a confident, happy woman who knows exactly who she is and what she wants and is okay with screwing up now and then, because I know that I can ask for help if I need it or that I can just dust myself off and keep going. No point throwing yourself down the whole flight of stairs if you’ve only stumbled a little.
I would advise my younger self to always wear sunscreen , exercise and take care of my skin but to also live in the moment as you are having it for a reason don’t wish it away. In the end it will make you wiser . Thanks for the give away love your site .