“Cheers to 20 Years” with Oregon Chai - Facebook Giveaway

I was sent a sample pack of Oregon Chai products in exchange for this promotion, but Oregon Chai is still what I drink by choice. All opinions and experiences are, as always, my own.

In college, here in Oregon, I fell in love with Oregon Chai. It was the perfect thing to get me through all those cold and rainy mornings on campus.

Smooth and flavorful, it warmed me from the inside out. It was pretty much love at first mug.

Recently I found out Oregon Chai also came in these fabulous K-Cups. Yeah, that rocked my world.

To celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of Oregon Chai and to thank  longtime supporters and chai devotees, Oregon Chai is offering Facebook fans the chance to win a three-night adventure for two to their hometown of Portland,Oregon. They are giving away 20 daily prize packages for 20 days, including custom anniversary mugs and chai.

You can enter this "Cheers to 20 Years" with Oregon Chai Facebook contest now through February 17th. And when you enter on the Oregon Chai Facebook Page daily, you will also receive a $1 OFF coupon for Oregon Chai and a $2.50 OFF coupon for Oregon Café Espresso Concentrate each time you enter.

Good luck and happy sipping!

What Feeds Your Soul? An Oregon Chai Sweepstakes

After an exhausting week of busy nights and now kids getting over the Fall sniffles, I am ready for a Mommy recharge. When I am low on energy and need a little soul-recharging I turn to crafting - specifically knitting.

The first set of size 7 knitting needles were placed in my hands by a babysitter when I was 7. Fitting, right? For a long time that therapeutic clack of  plastic needles accompanied me everywhere. Even today I find the rhythm of knitting to be very calming and restful.

Currently on the needles? A baby blanket for Elliott, also a hat for him, a knitted pumpkin to decorate the house and waiting in the wings are a few projects I want to accomplish before my niece is born in January.

Always close at hand while I knit is a cup of something warm to drink. With the recent drop in temperature here, I have been grabbing a cup of Oregon Chai to keep me knitting and keep away the chill. I might have mentioned here on the blog (...just a few times) how much I love Oregon Chai. The mixture isn't too sweet and just spicy enough for me to enjoy again and again.

So, What Feeds Your Soul? Is it a good book? Writing or painting?

Oregon Chai has opened up a conversation about the passions that drive us with their "What Feeds Your Soul" Sweepstakes on Facebook. From now until October 22nd (5pm CDT), share a hobby you love with Oregon Chai for a chance to win a $2,000 customized prize package to pursue your passion. Enter once per day and receive a $1 OFF coupon for Oregon Chai and a $2.50 OFF coupon for Oregon Café Espresso Concentrate each time they enter.

So, again, what feeds your soul? Be sure to share and good luck.  I know $2,000 would buy a whole lot of fiber and patterns if you are a knitter like me.

All Jarred Up - Now Open in Portland, OR

*Disclaimer - I was sent samples in order to write an honest review. No monetary compensation was received. All experiences and opinions are my own.

I'm so excited to share this great little spot and idea hailing from my home state of Oregon. All Jarred Up has a clever concept of treats you can ship or eat right out of a mason jar. Adorable, portable and truly tasty, you have to give All Jarred Up goodies a try!

Originally these handmade creations; pies, quick-bread, cookies, sauces and toffee were available only online through Etsy. You can still order your jars online, but now you can see an expanded selection at their new cart location in Portland Oregon.

My box arrived well packed and intact. Each jar is labeled with the item name, ingredients, re-heating instructions, sealed and decorated with checkerboard cloth. It is a very cute presentation.

Yeah, I have quite a thing for glass and reusable containers, so these treats were even sweeter being packaged in jars. I was really intrigued by these little cookies, the lemon lavender cookies. Oh, man. I followed the directions on the lid to warm them in the oven and,

...my whole home smelled of the most divine lavender lemon awesomeness! Believe it or not, I did share these cookies. Well, just a bite or two.

Aren't they pretty?  These are about as close to fresh warm baked goods as I could get through the mail.

The pies are such a cute idea! I love the individual servings in small glass jars. Like the cookies, I warmed them in the oven and served them as is. These would make great gifts for starving college students or even new Moms. Shoot, my Mom lives alone and would flip for getting a pie in the mail from me. Give them away as a hostess gift, party favor or just a simple, "thank you".

The toffee was delicious. Sweet and crunchy, it was also a great item to ship in a jar. Enjoy a piece and then screw back on the lid to save the rest for later.

If you are in the area, be sure to stop in and check out what the All Jarred Up food cart has to offer. You can find it at:

321 SW 2nd Avenue, Portland, OR

Be sure to like them Etsy and follow their Facebook page for updates on new products and announcements.

Vacationing in the PNW - A Visit to OMSI

We just returned from our annual Spring vacation and it completely wore me out. If you have any plans to visit Oregon or Washington and will be passing through the Portland area, you really must check out OMSI -  The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

OMSI is a great destination for families because it allows kids to get hands on with science. My son, who is a big fan of the Discovery Channel, was over the moon to find out that the traveling exhibit featured at OMSI during our visit was MYTHBUSTERS The Explosive Exhibition.

This exhibit will be open through May 5th, 2013. These two crazy guys, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, try to answer questions, myths and urban legends through experimentation. They determine whether a previous assumption is confirmed or busted using the scientific method but also doing things the rest of us would only dream about. Many of their explosions and more dangerous experiments should not be attempted at home, but these two special effects and stunt gurus do it for us so we can safely watch and learn from home.

The exhibit is packed with actual items used in the shows, video clips, explanations and the chance to even try some of the experiments yourself.

From trying to create a structure that can withstand wind gusts to whether toast always tends to land butter-side down, the kids (or just kids at heart) are invited to try their own experiment.

My husband had pretty good success at the Tablecloth Chaos exhibit, and my son even tried his hand at it. Now, haven't we all dreamed of mastering the tablecloth pull-out? I'm just glad it wasn't attempted with my dishes.

Another popular part of the exhibit included an indoor rain chamber where you could hypothesize whether you became more wet walking through rain or running through it. They even included black lights and mirrors so you could check out the results.

Overall this exhibit was a lot of fun and as with any portion of OMSI we could have spent all day just playing around. Wanting to pack in as much as possible we also explored the general science experiment area full of paper cups, wind tunnels, earthquake simulation houses, robots and paper airplanes. All of the exhibits were hands-on and child friendly.

The highlight of the trip for my husband and son though was the tour of the USS Blueback (SS- 581) submarine. This sub was the U.S. Navy's last non-nuclear, fast-attack submarine and the first battle-ready class of submarines to use the teardrop hull. It's claim to fame was having been used for the movie The Hunt For Red October for both the Russians and the American interior shots.

Because the interior is a little cramped and the doorways are small, in order to be admitted everyone must pass through this door. With a little prompting even my 3-year old was able to make it, though inside she needed assistance on the steep and narrow stairways between levels.

Overall it was an afternoon well spent. Next time we really should budget for a full day, but the kids still had a blast.

If you live nearby or are passing through the Portland area with your kids, be sure to put OMSI on your list of places to see. They do a great job of making science fun for the whole family.

*Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post. No discount or promotion was provided for this review. All opinions and experiences are my own.