Bought @NostalgiaElctrx @Keurig @Jolly_Rancher: @Kohls #SweepstakesPrize + #Rewards Haul! #GotItFree!

I've been entering a Kohls Twitter Contest* periodically (under a personal account) whenever I happened to be on Twitter and remember to send an entry tweet. The prize is $50.00 KohlsCash (valid for 30 days from activation). Roughly a week ago, my Twitter username was drawn as a potential winner. After I emailed the sweepstakes admin my contact information and confirmed my eligibility, I received my $50.00 KohlsCash code the next day. I also happened to have a $5.00 KohlsCash Reward (valid for 30 days from date earned) from earning the requisite Kohls Yes2You Rewards points to trigger a conversion. As a result, I ended up with a total of $55.00 in rewards money to spend within a limited time frame.

Jolly Rancher Sour Bites 8-oz. Package

Across the board regardless of the rewards program in question, I prefer to use any rewards that I earn to get items for free (as opposed to merely buying something at a discount). This way any rewards that I earn actually make me feel like I've been rewarded, because I got free stuff! For instance, if I have $55.00 in rewards available, I will try to find things that I want or need which cost less than or equal to this amount, so that I can order the item/s for free (or as close to free as possible).

Keurig® Brewer Maintenance Kit

With this in mind, I went shopping online at Kohls.com over the weekend and scored some fun and useful items: a Nostalgia Electrics Diner Style Hot Dog Steamer (MSRP $49.99), a Keurig® Brewer Maintenance Kit (MSRP $29.99) and a Jolly Rancher Sour Bites 8-oz. Package (MSRP $4.99) --- only the Jolly Rancher was purchased at its regular price, the other two items were on sale. The total for all three items came out to $54.97, which I paid for with my $55.00 KohlsCash. (A notice on my e-receipt stated that I'd saved $84.97 total.) Free stuff FTW!

Nostalgia Electrics Diner Style Hot Dog Steamer

I'm hoping the Diner Style Hot Dog Steamer works well. (The product had great reviews on the Kohls site.) I've been searching for a convenient method to cook my veggie dogs to perfection and achieve that real Carnival feel. I own quite a few (at least 15) Nostalgia Electrics appliances and most of them have been well worth the money (that I didn't pay for them, as I netted them all free via rewards programs). I adore Nostalgia Electrics because the company specializes in retro design small appliances. I'm a gadget geek and I love a Carnival/Fair/Circus/Vaudeville motif ---which often plays into this retro vibe.

I'm planning to test cook some veggie dogs this weekend!

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*In case you've been under a rock lately: Kohls has been conducting a Twitter Contest (running M-F for about four weeks) in celebration of its Back-to-School Sales. To participate, follow Kohls on Twitter, reply to any Kohls contest notice tweet by saying what you would use the $50.00 KohlsCash prize to buy, if you were to win and append the contest hashtag #KohlsCashSweepstakes. Obviously, one can pretty much say whatever he wants. Entries do not carry over, so you must create a new entry tweet each weekday (24 hour period). Contest ends 29/Aug, so there's still a few days to enter. Good Luck!

VUDU Sale, Score! #VideoDownloads #BritishHumor #PBS

Come Fly With Me SE01

VUDU is having a MASSIVE sale and folks on a movie forum that I frequent have been discussing the best deals to be had. Someone there mentioned that the full First (and only) Season (6 episodes) of a show called Come Fly With Me was on sale for $3.99 and then said he'd recommend the show to anyone who likes British humor. The person ended by saying the show was done by the same guys who did Little Britain. In response, several others on the forum posted to say that it was quite a good show and getting the entire season at this price was a great deal.

I hadn't heard of Come Fly With Me, but I knew Little Britain because a friend of mine had recommended it years ago. (This friend knows that I grew up watching old British television serials rerun on PBS, so dry British humor is actually my default.) Luckily, VUDU had recently given me a $3.00 gift credit to thank me for being a good customer and I'd also won a "20% Off Your Next Purchase" code in a partner sponsored contest. I decided to purchase the show as a blind buy.

Score! I was able to stack the two discounts and buy the full First Season for ONLY $0.19! I'll probably download Come Fly With Me and check out the show over the next week or so, time permitting. I figure how could I go wrong at 19-cents.... Thanks, VUDU!

We got the #meats + a #CamoCap! #Prizes #Coupons #Camouflage #DiscoverOldWisconsin #MailCall

The postwoman flagged me down as I was heading off to a meeting yesterday to say that she had a package for me. Turns out it was the prize from an Old Wisconsin contest that I'd entered last month. Didn't know what to expect as the contest terms merely stated "enter to win an Old Wisconsin prize package."

Inside the padded envelope were two Buddig meats coupons (any item up to $0.99 x 2), one Old Wisconsin meats coupon (any item up to $5.99), an Old Wisconsin Camouflage Logo Cap and a nice letter thanking me for being a loyal fan of the brand. Not a bad haul. The fam is already fighting over "the meats" --- I think Pup has an edge --- and I'm digging the camo cap. All win!

Old Wisconsin Prize Package

#MailCall: #WeHonchos #SwitchYourSnack + @EdgeOf17 #Bluray #Prize #Foodie #FilmFan

Received the Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD prize that I won in a contest. Teen angst movies have been so pitiful lately, but I'm hoping this one is watchable at least. It got a decent amount of critical acclaim; however, the "hype machine" (mainstream movie media) often praises lackluster efforts. I plan to check it out this weekend. I like both Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick, but know nothing of Hailee Steinfeld. Hopefully, it lives up to the ratings. (For what it's worth, IMDB has it as a 7.5 out of 10.) We'll see for ourselves. If it sucks, I'll trade it for something better or give it away. Was willing to take a chance on a freebie. This is basically a free movie rental.

Also, got a free product coupon for Honchos Tortilla Chips (Deep River Snacks) from a Super Bowl eNewsletter signup promotion to "Switch Your Snack" to a better-for-you offering. Honchos are Non-GMO, mainly Organic and Gluten-Free with "no bad stuff." Looking forward to trying these out. Can't decide which flavor, though --- apparently, comes in Nacho Cheese, Peach Habanero or Ranch. Perhaps in allegiance to my home state, the Peach State, I should go for the habanero one. (Honestly, I'm partial to peaches, but being a native Georgian, this may be inbred.) I'll pick up a bag to munch on while watching the Edge of Seventeen this weekend.

Not a bad mail day, yesterday.

#UrAWinner! #Contest #Prizes #Loot

I like entering contests, but only if it's free to enter and the available prizes are interesting or needed. For instance, I've won several HDTVs in contests over the last few years and I currently have more than enough TVs, so I tend to skip over contests where the prize is a television. The exception being if there are a lot of different prizes an entrant could win and a TV is merely one of them.

With my luck though, I'd probably end up winning the TV --- the second TV I won as an adult was this sort of fluke, I entered a contest trying to win a compost bin. (I'd won an HDTV two years prior.) I figured I had a better chance at winning it as there were 10 being given away as a fourth prize, but instead I won the single first prize TV. Some luck, eh? I actually screamed. I genuinely wanted a compost bin and did not at the time need a second big screen television.

Anywho, I hadn't been entering many contests lately because I'd been so crazy busy, but within the last week things settled a bit, so I've had a moment's leisure here and there. (Whenever I have spare time, I will often search for a contest that I can enter quickly. It's one of the things I do to blow off steam --- and it can potentially benefit me later.) Thus, I dropped my name in a proverbial hat or two, and as Luck would have it, my name was pulled out a couple times.

This week I won:
1. The Edge of Seventeen Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
2. Old Wisconsin Prize Pack (not certain what's included, but certainly pup will enjoy it carnivore that she is.)

Now I'm simply awaiting the postman... or Brown.

Playing Fun #Sweeps - #SYWR Points #ShoppingList #VeggieSpiralizer #Coffee Grinder #MyWants #Rewards #Prizes

I'm not much of a gambler. I don't like having the odds stacked against me. As a result, you can forget about my playing the lottery or table games in Vegas. (I play penny and nickel slots for the fun of it.) The only "gaming" I tend to throw my hand in are the contests which require no initial outlay on my part (free entry). So I will "spin the wheel" for sweepstakes at Shop Your Way, because it's free to enter. I earn random rewards points and use these to get free and nearly free merchandise.

Yesterday, I won 10,000 rewards points or $10.00 in one of the SYWR sweepstakes games, which added to my "pot of gold" (the amount of rewards points available to redeem in my account). My earliest won sweeps points won't expire for a few days yet (most sweeps prize points are only good for 14 days after they're won), so I'll keep playing and (hopefully) adding to my stash. Then I'll cash out for a nifty gadget on the last day possible to maximize my rewards discount.

So now I'm thinking about low-cost kitchen gadgets --- I love small kitchen appliances! I'm torn between a coffee grinder and a vegetable spiralizer. Hmm...

#WeatherGeek: That One Day of Winter Really Kills #Yaz #AT40 #Nostalgia

The temperature is supposed to continue to drop this morning, down to 34 degrees or thereabouts. Today is our one day of Winter before rebounding to Spring-like temperatures come Friday. While such yo-yo weather has become the new normal around here, this doesn't make it fun.

The pollen count is already hitting very high marks (the equivalent of late Spring totals), as the unseasonably warm weather which occurs most days has convinced trees, plants and flowers that it's much later in the year. So the Winter temperatures shock. Oh, how Winter kills to paraphrase the band Yaz. (By the way, Upstairs at Eric's formed a seminal work in my musical education. Oddly enough, I won the vinyl LP as part of a prize --- along with another LP that left little impression, a 19" color TV, a class ring and some trendy clothing outfit --- in a trivia contest on Casey Kasem's American Top 40 Countdown, circa 1983, I believe. Winning this radio contest altered my perspective in several arenas; my family had only owned a B&W TV up to this point. Color television marked quite a transition. But, I digress...)

As it's difficult for anyone (or anything) to adjust to these drastic swings in temperature quickly, illness has been rampant. This weather pattern wears one down. It will be nice when Spring truly arrives, providing it doesn't continue to return to Winter-like temperatures once a week. If that is going to be the case, I'll need a vacation. Pronto.

#NationalPizzaDay: May I Have Some More Please? #Cheese #Quikly #GiftCard

Pizza is one of my four main food groups, along with potatoes (preferably in the form of pomme frites or French fries), rice and ice cream. Hey, this is kosher for a lacto-ovo vegetarian like me. I LOVE cheese! I LOVE bread! Cheese pizza is like "manna from heaven." (I believe this means pizza is very, very delicious.) Take-out, frozen or homemade.

Today is National Pizza Day. In spite of the fact that I think that all of these "holidays" are mere marketing gimmicks, on a day like today where the celebration coincides with my personal tastes, I'll willingly give in and play along. I'll probably have pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maybe for a snack, too. Like Oliver Twist, I ask, "May I have some more, please?" You can't have too much pizza, right? That's impossible!

I scored a promotional gift card from Domino's in its Quikly giveaway yesterday and I've also got a couple of frozen pies stashed in the freezer. So I have options. I expect it to be a fun day.

UPDATE: It's also apparently National Bagel Day. So now I'm making bagel pizzas (like those Bagel Bites thingies). I admit it, I love a good bagel and schmear, too. (Bagels are bread.)

Will it #Snow? Sounds Like a Good Impetus To Stock Up on Extra #Bedding. #SYWR #WeatherGeek

There may be an accumulation of snow in the metro Atlanta area this weekend! As Winter is finally upon us (for a spell), I thought it was a good time to acquire more stock for the bedding closet. It's always good to have extra blankets, quilts and throws at hand. Besides, I had some limited-time Shop Your Way Rewards (SYWR) points that were due to expire today.

Thus yesterday, using the SYWR points I'd earned from several Sweepstakes Doorbusters Prizes and a few (small denomination) Sweepstakes Prize Points Wins --- approximately $8.00 in points, when taken together --- I ordered two free Cannon Fleece Throws (50" W x 60" L), a Blue Plaid one and a Grey Plaid one, that were $3.99/ea. on sale utilizing the free store pickup service, and which will be lovely for snuggling while reading or watching movies.

Cannon Fleece Throw, Blue Plaid

Cannon Fleece Throw, Grey Plaid

I don't like being overheated, whether it's Winter or Summer. In Winter, I generally keep the thermostat set at around 64 degrees unless somebody is ill or we have guests, in which case I will adjust it accordingly. (There's a decent amount of research regarding how long-term mild cold exposure helps with metabolism by forcing the body to activate brown fat (BAT) in order to expend white fat as energy instead of storing it, which in turn works to keep one lean.) I'd rather snuggle in a blanket, if need be, or add layers of clothing, than be in sweltering heat any day of the year.

Scoring free blankies makes me feel a bit like Linus, though Schroeder is my favorite Peanuts® character. (It's all good, however, because I like Linus, second best. Poor old Charlie Brown.) Perhaps subconsciously, I gravitate toward the blue and the grey colors because of my avid interest in Civil War history. Then, again, I tend to like cool hues in home decor. Who knows really? The mind is a terrible thing....

Seen #RogueOne? Not I Said the Spider to the Fly... #MovieLover #StarWars #Leia #IMAX #MoviePosters

No, I haven't seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. After the recycled disappointment that is The Forces Awakens, I was afraid to give it a go, though it's helmed by a different director. (I've stated previously that I was very upset at the fact that JJ Abrams got to ruin not one, but two of my favorite childhood Sci-Fi series/franchises, Star Trek and Star Wars. I am NOT an Abrams fan.) I've heard and read both good and bad reviews of Rogue One and have decided to wait for the home video release. I felt it wasn't worth a theater trek. That said, I will give the production crew credit for creating appropriate imagery that gives me the feel of Star Wars.

I may or may not like the film once I see it, but I'll accept all the toys that come along with its launch. Cool posters, radio and/or app controlled drones, costumes, and action figures galore! (I spent quite a few years of my childhood playing with the action figures from the original movies. I constructed my own playsets from the movies and often created new story lines. A male first cousin and I once tried to recreate the Darth Vader funeral pyre scene by placing a Vader action figure on a stack of twigs and setting it afire. Let's just say burned plastic smells horrible!) Advances in technology and toymaking techniques has meant that some of today's Star Wars toys are cooler versions of yesteryear's. While I haven't run out to buy anything, I have kept abreast of what is being manufactured, and I may acquire a few choice items in the future.

IMAX Exclusive Rogue One Mini Poster

I have, however, entered a contest or two for the chance to win this or that. No skill contests unfortunately, these are merely drop your name into the hat, random chance sort of thing. But I won one of the IMAX Exclusive Rogue One Mini Posters. Yeah, could have gotten one by attending an early IMAX showing of the film, but that's the catch. This way I get the poster without leaving the house or having to sit through a (potentially) bad movie. Works for me. FedEx where are you?

NOTE: Thank you, Carrie Fisher being a fearless woman, a natural wit and a tireless mental health advocate ---- and for bringing Princess Leia, one of my favorite movie characters, to life onscreen. Rest in Peace.

(Re)Emergence of #InternetRadio: Hey @VTechPhones What happened to... #VTechIS9181? #GadgetGeek #GlobalNews #Trends #WorldMusic

Was flipping through the January/February 2017 issue of Men's Journal magazine (Liam Neeson!) yesterday, when I hit the Style & Design Notebook section and paused to check out the page of products being touted as "What's New". Under the heading "Tune in to the World" there's a blurb about a $300 standalone WiFi-connected Internet Radio player that allows one to "tune in to radio from all over the globe." The (unknown) authors go on to crow, "Reggae from France? It's our new favorite preset."

This, of course, immediately made me think of the standalone VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet Radio [See vtechphones.com/internet-radio/internet-radio] that I won in some random contest back in November 2010 and have been enjoying ever since. (Sadly, it seems VTech gave up on the product. I don't believe that it's still in production --- when one clicks [Buy Now] on the product page above it returns a "product not found" error --- but I absolutely love mine.)

For an information junkie and music maniac like me, it's nothing short of amazing to have access to 11,000 odd radio channels streamed on demand from around the world, particularly ones featuring my favorite genres Talk Radio, News, Opera, Early Music, Classical and Rai. I'm that geek who would tune in to obscure channels from around the world using my lowly desktop computer back in the day, so it's a treat to have a standalone player with good sound that can handle the same task, retrieve basic weather data, and function as an alarm clock, if needed. There's also a little remote which allows me to change settings on the fly.

Winning a VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet Radio as a contest prize back in 2010 was definitely a score! Nice to see that standalone internet radios are seemingly making a comeback and being touted as cool gadgets. I concur.

In what could certainly be viewed as a serendipitous move, I picked up the December 12-25, 2016 issue of New York magazine after finishing Men's Journal. Its "The Urbanist" column examines "The Globalization of Local Radio" through a lens which focuses on the local radio station as truly endemic of its surrounding community (formerly its broadcast area), i.e, what defines the culture, what makes the place unique. Of course, the beauty here --- as the column author aptly points out --- is that in modernity anyone with an internet connection and the appropriate hardware & software can eavesdrop on these "vignettes of local life", because so many local radio stations are now streamed online. The Internet morphed limited broadcast area local radio into Global Internet Radio. And we all can benefit.

The meat of the column is several pages --- which I scanned to compact PDF in order to save as a reference --- of interesting local radio stations from around the world, complete with show highlights, broadcast URLs and airtime. In other words, myriad new stations to tune in to using my VTech IS9181.

My listening future is so bright, I've gotta wear... Hey Alexa, close the shades. Ha! Ha! Welcome to the New Age of the Wireless!

#HomeAutomation Intranet Brain FTW! #AmazonEcho #Prize

I spent time over the last several months looking at home automation options. I determined that I wanted to automate security, locks, lights, blinds, thermostat, media center and any SmartKitchen appliances --- at the very least. Based on the current market of smart assistants (AI engines), I also determined that Amazon's Alexa platform is compatible with and in many cases integrated into most of these consumer product categories. Thus, I thought it worthwhile to acquire an Amazon Echo. (I planned to use it as the hub around which to build my home automation intranet.)

In addition to being DIY crafty (a natural born engineer), I'm also $ thrifty (a natural born economist), and as a result, LOVE contests and smart shopping deals. My motto could be: Why spend money on something if you can get it for free or very, very cheap? I knew with the holiday season upon us chances to win various "hot ticket gifts" would abound. I spent a few minutes on Twitter searching for contests featuring either an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. I probably entered 10 or so, most only requiring a tweet.

Obviously, random drawing contests are hit or miss. Depends on the number of entries received, the cycle of the moon, the crow of the cock, etc., etc., but as the saying goes "you can't win, if you don't enter". I'll throw my name into the proverbial hat, if entering is simple (a fill out a form, send a tweet sort of thing). I don't jump through any hoops for merely the chance to win.

However, I prefer contests of skill. Because I'm damn good at skill based contests. It's the nature of the beast. If the entry requires some talent (essays, equations, design sketches, etc.), I like my chances. I wasn't the star student in EVERY academic subject in secondary school, for nothing. I'm like "Bring it"! So I also entered a contest that asked me to tell a story built around a set theme for a chance to win an Amazon Echo. And what do you think happened?

My Prize

Roughly within a week of deciding I needed an Amazon Echo, I'd won one, told the contest organizers which color I wanted (blackety black black black) and accepted delivery of my prize. It came direct delivery from Amazon.com in a beautiful gift bag with a lovely card attached.

My niece, the one who calls me "the luckiest aunt on the planet" could only laugh when I told her about my new toy and ask me for the umpteenth time to pick some lotto numbers. I keep trying to get her to understand that my "luck" doesn't work like that. But yeah, I am laughing.

Having acquired a Brain, I can begin sewing together the Body Politic of my home automation network. Why do I feel like Doctor Frankenstein... wait a minute, did the label on that jar the brain came out of read "Abby Normal"? Oh, that's merely Amazon attempting to give Alexa a sense of humor. I got jokes, folks.

Do the Moscow Mule

TWINE by True Fabrications

Over several months, I've encountered a number of articles that discuss how the Moscow Mule is enjoying a surge in popularity and how many of the folks who order this drink in various bars and restaurants are in turn "walking out" of said establishments still clutching the copper mugs in which the beverage is typically served. 

Of course, I started lusting after a copper mug of my very own — give me the precious — but I wasn’t about to swipe one from my neighborhood bar. Well, on Friday the postman delivered this sweet pair of hand-hammered copper mugs that I’d ordered. Can you say reward? I felt like dancing. The mugs came with a Moscow Mule recipe card included in the box. These things are really beautiful. 

These burnished copper mugs will look amazing hanging over my bar. And I’d be happy to mix up a Moscow Mule or two for any guests, provided the mug stays put. Not that I don't trust my houseguests, of course.

NOTICE: This post is a reblog from (the now defunct) castlemodern.tumblr.com. It was originally published 28-Feb-2016. Post may be edited or updated from its original text. 
[CM started on Tumblr, but moved to this more robust platform. Old posts are being ported to the new site, one by one.]