Welcome to Summer Splash hosted by Life With Two Boys, With Our Best, and Bella So Savvy! This event begins on May 14, 2012 at 12:01am EST and will end on May 27, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.

Over 100 blogs have come together to bring you some amazing prizes to help you kick off your summer… with a SPLASH! Each blog is giving away at least $25 worth of prizes, plus we have an awesome grand prize for one very lucky winner. Be sure to hop along to each of the participating blogs because the more giveaways you enter, the more chances you have at winning the Grand Prize!

So what’s this Grand Prize we’re talking about? Thanks to Kid’s Creations one very lucky winner is going to win a Two Ring Adventure Playset valued at $3,598! Made from the highest quality Redwood and loaded with fun activities, this swing set is sure to make this summer one to remember! (Please note that the grand prize is only open to residents of the Continental United States and does not include assembly/installation.) Enter the Grand Prize!

Our Giveaway

As you probably know from the sidebar of this site, for many years we have written Caribbean guidebooks. Our specialty is Jamaica…so we wanted to make today’s prize a gift from this special island!

One of our readers will win a gift bag of Starfish Oils bath products: travel candles, body oil, bath salts, and bath bar, all in Caribbean scents. Whether it’s bringing back memories of a tropical trip or just transporting you away during a dreamy bath, these scented bath goodies will be a special gift for one lucky reader!

How to Enter

We’ve got lots of ways to enter in the Rafflecopter below; enter with as many or as few entries as you like! This giveaway is open to readers everywhere and ends at 12:01 am Eastern on May 28, 2012. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclaimer: Please note that the Summer Splash hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize.

We lost our Internet service, provided as a wireless service off a nearby radio tower, when lightning struck the tower in the last wave of storms; it came back up but we’re holding our breath that it doesn’t go out again in tomorrow’s storms. I’ve got a Skype video interview set up for Friday morning so I hope, hope the connection holds up!

Our hummingbird feeder has now been expanded to TWO feeders and things are buzzing!

Welcome to the Magical Mother’s Day Giveaway Hop

sponsored by Planet Weidknecht and

Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!!

Dozens of blogs have joined together to offer you bunches of prizes!

Our Giveaway

We’re giving away a BRAND new cookbook (just published in late April) that combines two of our favorite things: traveling and dining. (And I love all things Martha Stewart, from her pet items at PetSmart to her home office products at Staples…so this was an easy choice!)

The new Martha Stewart cookbook, Martha’s American Food: A Celebration of Our Nation’s Most Treasured Dishes, from Coast to Coast (retail: $40), is arranged geographically and features over 200 recipes for regional dishes.

From New England Clam Chowder and Indiana Succotash to Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie and New York Cheesecake, this hardcover cookbook is designed to showcase the special tastes of regional dishes.

How To Enter

As always, we’ve got numerous ways to enter in the Rafflecopter below; you can enter with as many or as few entry methods as you like. This giveaway is open to US and Canada mailing addresses. The giveaway ends at 12:01am Eastern on May 15, 2012. Good luck!!

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We have a hummingbird feeder by our gate, and it’s one busy place! About a month ago, we heard the first hummingbird returning after his winter away; he suddenly appeared on the branch where we had hung the feeder the summer before…he seemed to be thinking, “I know I left that food right here!”

This afternoon, John had the camera with him and was close to the feeder when the hummingbirds came by. He caught some photos but stand by for more, hopefully. We have a telephoto lens and hope to get some closeup shots but, for today, we had the short lens when this little acrobat came by…

**This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to our winner, Jackie V!**

Welcome to the Make It A Home Blog Hop & Treasure Hunt hosted by Anitra from The MamaZone. We hope you’re ready to win some great prizes and cash to help you make your house a home!

This giveaway hop is a little different than most because it has the added element of a treasure hunt! Here’s how it works:

• Visit each participating blog and check out their giveaways.
• Look for the mailbox on each blog. If it contains a three digit code, make a note of it.
• Once you collect all 5 randomly hidden codes, enter here to win the Grand Prize of $100 and a Mint Floor Cleaner.
• If you enter every giveaway, you’ll earn 12 extra entries into the Grand Prize drawing.

The hop and hunt will run May 1-May 14, 2012 and the Grand Prize winner will be announced on the 15th. Ready to win?

Our Giveaway

We’re giving away a one-year subscription to This Old House magazine ($49.90 retail value)! We both love reading this magazine…it’s not too over the top like some home decorating magazines but at the same time includes do it yourself projects we can actually do without lots of special tools!

One lucky Paris and John’s Country Home reader will win a one-year (10 issue) subscription!

How to Enter

As always, we’ve got lots of ways to enter in the Rafflecopter below; you can enter using as many or as few entry methods as you like. Due to shipping, this giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only. This giveaway ends at 12:01am Eastern on May 15, 2012. Good luck!

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Now, visit the other great blogs below!

Disclosure: We will be ordering the prize ourselves; please allow at least 10 weeks for delivery of first issue.

Liven It Up with Color. Of all the decorating changes we’ve made in our home through the years (and there have been many), painting has been the cheapest and had some of the biggest impact. White walls can look empty and blah but, a couple of cans of paint later, your rooms can be totally transformed. My office was off white but now it’s lemon yellow; even on the dreariest of days, it’s a sunny place. Color can completely change the mood of a room, whether you’re redoing a home office like ours, remodeling a bedroom, or decorating kids’ rooms.

Think Big. When you start to decorate your walls, go big to make a statement. One big piece of artwork (in my office, I have a quilt featuring t-shirts we gathered on Caribbean writing assignments) makes a statement; if you don’t have one large item to showcase, group smaller photos in similar frames. Voila…they make a bigger statement!

Select One Focal Point. Decorate around one focal point in each room, whether it’s an exclusive piece of furniture, a fireplace, or a spectacular window with a view. Other items in the room, from accent pillows to window treatments, should enhance but not compete with that focal point. Keeping the emphasis on that focal point will prevent your room from looking too cluttered (and will save you decorating money in the process!)

Add Mirrors. I love adding mirrors to our rooms! A mirror placed opposite of a window can double your sunlight and give a real boost to the room. Mirrors are often inexpensive (I got the one below at a thrift store). The frame of the mirror can reflect the style of your room like my office’s rattan mirror frame:

Regardless of your decorating style, you can redecorate any room in your house on a budget, allowing you to make a space that’s filled with items you love and will enjoy day after day.

Well, that reliable connection is easier said than done when you live in the country.for us, there are many, many advantages of country living…but a fast and dependable Internet connection is not one of them.

Many people have asked us what kind of Internet connections we have so we wanted to share. Of course, there are no cable services out here; we have satellite television service (after years of the jumbo dish in the yard.) It’s pretty reliable except during a rain storm which, sadly for the last year, has been all too rare due to our drought.

For many years, we’ve had satellite Internet connections; we used HughesNet so we had this small dish on roof near our offices (they were originally Direcway but now they’re HughesNet):

We had a business plan but it still had a daily cap which we exceeded on occasion. Along with a hefty price, we also had a problem with reliability, especially on cloudy days.

Satellite signals have a long distance to travel, so there is often a delay.  Plus, it’s more difficult (and therefore expensive) to install than DSL or cable options.

We’ve recently changed to a Wireless Broadband service; basically it bounces a radio signal off of a nearby radio tower and we pick it up with a receiver at the tip top of an old television antenna we have on the second floor of our home:

We’ve been really happy with the service, so far. We had one outage that lasted a few days when lightning struck the radio tower (what are the odds??) Other than that, service has been very reliable. So reliable, in fact, that we’re trying to decide if we want to continue our backup Internet service, which is a Sprint broadband modem (a tiny USB device). We’re at the very edge of the coverage area for it so it has its good days and its bad days. The primary drawback to it, however, is the fact that there’s a monthly cap on usage (plus the fact that we’re paying for TWO Internet services!)

So that’s a look at country Internet service. It’s not a very pretty picture…but we figure that’s the price we pay for getting to live in the country!

Due to their spiny leaves, many people don’t like the milk thistle but I think they’re just lovely. We mow our front yard so we can keep an eye out for snakes but we let the thistles grow along the fenceline. They’re in bloom now and just beautiful!

Fortunately in most cases, it was just a matter of removing a limb or two…

This was all the result of last year’s record drought, the worst in Texas history (and that’s saying something!) Things are looking better this year although we’re still in drought. This year, however, the pear trees are being optimistic…and we’ve even spotted our first pears!

**This giveaway is closed. Out of 1407 entries, our winner is Ellen W. Congratulations!**

Welcome to the Mom ME Time Giveaway Event coordinated by The Maven of Social Media, Formula Mom, and Tales From the Nursery! This event will take place from 12:01am EST on April 22nd through 11:59pm EST on April 28th.

Whether you’re looking for a gift for a special mom in your life (or you’d like to win a prize for yourself…we won’t tell!), we’ve got a whole batch of Mother’s Day giveaways to show you! We’ve joined in a special Mother’s Day giveaway hop; every blog participating in this event will feature gifts that are perfect for giving to moms on Mother’s Day. Each prize is valued at $25 or more. You’ll also find some very special grand prizes!

Two lucky winners will receive (1) $100 Spa & Wellness Gift Cards by Spa Week to help pamper themselves and massage the stress away. Spa & Wellness Gift Cards are accepted at over 5,000 spa locations across North America. A third lucky winner will receive a Godiva coffee and breakfast gift basket sure to pamper their taste buds. The gift cards are open to US and Canada while the gift basket is open to US only. So be sure to enter to win the Grand Prizes!

Our Giveaway

For our giveaway, one lucky ParisandJohn.com reader will win a copy of the brand new The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier cookbook!

I love Ree Drummond’s food photography (and I’ve been visiting her blog a lot as I shoot photos for our upcoming dog treat cookbook). This new cookbook not only has photos of her recipes but also of life on the ranch, much like her first cookbook.

As a blogger and a country resident, I really enjoyed this cookbook and am looking forward to giving away a copy to one of our readers!

How to Enter

As always, we’ve got numerous ways to enter in the Rafflecopter below and you can enter with as many or as few entries as you like. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada. The giveaway ends at 12:01am Eastern on April 29, 2012. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Giveaways!

Disclaimer: Please note that ParisandJohn.com, “Mom ME Time Giveaway Event” or the “Mom ME Time” bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.