Tampa Bay Free Summer Movies – 2010

It’s that time of year again! Free (or really cheap) Summer movies!!! I have already added all the movies we haven’t seen yet to my summer calendar. What a great, low cost way to entertain a large family!

Here the participating theaters in the Tampa Bay area:

AMC Summer Movie Camp – $1 movies for charity, Tuesdays at 10AM from June 15 – Aug 10

• AMC Veterans 24 – 9302 Anderson Rd., Tampa
• AMC Woodlands Square 20 – 3128 Tampa Rd., Oldsmar
• AMC Regency 20 – 2496 W. Brandon Blvd., Regency Square Mall, Brandon
• AMC Westshore 14 – 210 Westshore Plaza, Tampa

Cobb Theatres – Free Movies – every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

• Grove 16 – 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Lakeside 18 – 1650 Town Center Dr., Lakeland

Georgia Theatre Company -
Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10AM from June 8 through July 29. Admission is $1, kids soda and popcorn available for $1.50 each.

• Beacon Stadium Cinemas 10 – 12961 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville

Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival – Select G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. Admission is free. You can check the movies as well as a list of locations, dates, and times by clicking through and selecting your state. (Florida Showtimes Here)

• Largo 8 – 10500 Ulmerton Rd. E., Largo
• Park Place Stadium 16 – 7200 US Hwy 19 N., Pinellas Park
• Hollywood 18 – 6701 Cinema Dr., Port Richey
• Citrus Stadium 20 – 7999 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, Tampa

United Artists – Participating in Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival (link leads to Regal announcement).

Edwards Cinemas – Participating in Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival (link leads to Regal announcement).

Muvico Free Family Film Festival – Free movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from June 15 to Aug. 3.

• BayWalk 20 and IMAX, 151 Second Ave. N, St. Petersburg
• Palm Harbor 10, 37912 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor
• Starlight 20, 18002 Highwood Preserve Parkway, Tampa

Free Pass to Busch Gardens for Preschoolers!

Busch Gardens of Tampa has something new in store. Opening on March 27, 2010 is Sesame Street’s Safari of Fun! Geared toward younger children, the Safari of Fun will offer “kid-size rides, cool water fun and plenty of memorable adventures”.

Fly through the desert with Grover. Climb in Elmo’s Tree House. Splash in Bert and Ernie’s watering hole. You can even dine with your child’s furry friends. It’s Sesame Street Safari of Fun, where imaginations run wild and there’s fun for everyone.

Here’s the best part! To celebrate this new endeavor, Busch Gardens is offering a Free Commemorative Busch Gardens Preschool Annual Pass for Florida residents ages 5 and younger! It’s all they need to explore the wonders of Busch Gardens and the all-new Sesame Street Safari of Fun…for the whole year!

Free 8×10 Photo Collage

Free BareMinerals Sample at JCPenney

Print this coupon and take it to a Sephora inside a JCPenney store for a free 14-day sample of Bare Escentuals BareMinerals Foundation.  Choose Original or Matte in one of 6 shades.  There is no purchase required and no expiration date on the coupon; they just say while supplies last – and if they run out they’ll give you a sample of another product!

Free Denny’s Grand Slam

Participating Denny’s restaurants are giving away free Original Grand Slam breakfasts from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Last year, two million people across the country turned out for the free meal, according to a news release. The restaurant announced during the Super Bowl that it would offer the promotion again.

This is just one of a few promotions Denny’s is serving up for its customers.

• Anyone can go online or stop by a restaurant until Sunday to register to win one free Original Grand Slam every week for a year. One winner will be announced each week on dennys.com.
• The first 500,000 people who sign up for the new Denny’s Rewards program online between now and Sunday will receive a free burger and fries, available March 1 through 7.
• Denny’s also will provide free refills on any order of French fries or pancakes at participating locations nationwide, starting Wednesday.
• And the party continues at Denny’s. Customers can celebrate birthdays with free Original Grand Slam breakfasts at participating locations as long as they provide proof of their birth dates.

Free Homeschool Magazine

Free trial issue of  Home School Enrichment Magazine.

Here at Home School Enrichment, we believe homeschooling is the best lifestyle a Christian family can have. And, we want you to experience that joy and fulfillment throughout your entire homeschool journey! Keep reading for just a few topics we’ve covered to help keep the joy in your homeschool!

Free Book and Free Movie from Vision Forum

Thanks, Penny Raine for letting us know about this offer!

Free Bestselling Movie or Book — Pay Only Shipping!

Vision Forum is offering two of its bestselling titles — Passionate Housewives Desperate for God and The League of Grateful Sons — for free!

Visit www.visionforum.com and use coupon PHDGFREE for Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, or coupon LOGSFREE for The League of Grateful Sons, and pay only actual first class shipping (usually $2-$4*). You can even receive both products for free — just place two separate orders (one coupon per order).

HURRY, coupons expire at midnight on October 15, 2009 (CDT), and may not be combined with other offers.

About Passionate Housewives Desperate for God
(Coupon Code PHDGFREE)

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

Have you struggled to reconcile God’s vision of virtuous womanhood with the worldly myths that marginalize and mock the role of the homemaker? Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker’s calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman—the wife whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, or her money-making skills? Such is the image of the “desperate housewife.”

In a delightfully fresh and honest way, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God addresses these issues head-on and provides fresh vision for the hopeful homemaker. Hear a former “Christian feminist” share how she went from a die-hard homemaker-in-training to a dedicated career woman and then back again—after God gripped her heart. See the hollow counterfeit of whitewashed feminism and “me-ology” destroyed. And consider the beautiful picture in Scripture of the truly fulfilled homemaker who glories in the hopeful calling God created for her.

Paperback. 206 pgs. Retail $16.

About The League of Grateful Sons
(Coupon Code LOGSFREE)

The League of Grateful Sons

What is the godly legacy of the fathers of World War II? Their story has not been told—until now! In The League of Grateful Sons, meet tough-as-nails-Marine “Colonel” Bill Henderson. He survived thirty-six days of brutal fighting on Iwo Jima. And meet P-51 Mustang flyboy Bill Brown. He was shot down over Japan, but survived to train generations to sing praises to God.

Now in their eighties, these ancient warriors return to the black sands of Iwo Jima to disciple a new generation in the art of Christian manhood.

DVD. 75 mins., plus bonus features. Retail $18.

Be sure to stop by Penny Raine’s site, where she will be giving away some of her own ebooks this month.

FREE Beach Towel from Build-a-Bear Workshop

Now through June 14 get a FREE Beach Towel with a purchase of $20 or more from Build-a-Bear Workshop! (while quantities last)

Plus, choose 1 of 3 FREE virtual gifts at buildabearville.com®

Free Summer Movies for Kids – 2009

While searching for this year’s free (or almost free) summer movies, I found that the folks over at fivecentnickel.com already did most of the work for me! (Thanks!)

So I went one step further, for my readers here in Tampa Bay. Using the list generated by fivecentnickel, I added a flower by those participating theaters that have locations in the Tampa Bay area.

• AMC Summer Movie Camp – $1 movies for charity, Wednesdays at 10AM from June 17 – Aug 5 (in most markets). Group tickets on sale starting June 10th.
  AMC Veterans 24 – 9302 Anderson Rd., Tampa
  AMC Woodlands Square 20 – 3128 Tampa Rd., Oldsmar
  AMC Regency 20 – 2496 W. Brandon Blvd., Regency Square Mall, Brandon
• Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse – Ten weeks of kids movies on weekday mornings. All ten movies can be purchases in advance for $5 (total) or you can purchase tickets for each show at the box office for $1/each. Runs for 10 weeks, dates have yet to be announced.
• Classic Cinemas Wednesday Morning Movie Series – G and PG rated movies for just $1 on Wednesday mornings at 10AM for nine weeks from June 17 through Aug 12.
• Clearview Cinemas – Eight weeks of family films. Free admission, every Thursday @ 10:30AM starting July 2.
• Cobb Theatres – Advertising free summer kids shows, but you need to click through and select your local theatre to get details.
  Grove 16 – 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Georgia Theatre Company -
  Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10AM from June 9 through July 30. Admission is $1, kids soda and popcorn available for $1.50 each.
  Beacon Stadium Cinemas 10 – 12961 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville
• Kerasotes Theaters Summer Movie Program (pdf) – Seven weeks of summer vacation movies at 10AM on Wednesdays and Thursdays from June 24 – Aug 6.
• Malco Theatres – $2 movies for charity at 10AM every Tuesday and Wednesday from June 2 – July 29.
• Marcus Theatres – “Kids Rule” summer film series from June 17 – Aug 13. Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10AM (except July 1/2). All seats $3.00 w/free popcorn.
• Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival – Select G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. Admission is free. You can check the movies as well as a list of locations, dates, and times by clicking through and selecting your state. (Florida Showtimes Here)
  Largo 8 – 10500 Ulmerton Rd. E., Largo
  Park Place Stadium 16 – 7200 US Hwy 19 N., Pinellas Park
  Hollywood 18 – 6701 Cinema Dr., Port Richey
  Citrus Stadium 20 – 7999 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, Tampa
• United Artists – Participating in Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival (link leads to Regal announcement).
• Edwards Cinemas – Participating in Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival (link leads to Regal announcement).

Deal Alert! – 50 Free Photo Prints / $5 Off

Snapfish, the online photo storage site, is currently offering 50 Free Prints plus $5 Savings on Prints and Photo Gifts!

From now through the end of May, new Snapfish customers will get 50 FREE 4″ x 6″ prints. In addition, both new and existing customers can save $5 off purchases in the Snapfish store with coupon code 5offnow. Hurry! Offer ends June 1st!

101 Free Recipe Books & Guides

We love cookbooks around here. In fact, there is always some sort of cookbook at the top of my daughter Audrey’s gift list. What is better than “a cookbook”? A *free* cookbook!  And there are several free cookbooks currently available from various sources online  – some mail order, and some in space-saving downloadable PDF format.

Most of the following recipe books do not appeal to me personally (as a vegetarian), but these two are the exception. The Vitalita Culinary Group has produced two free, original, on-line, vegan cookbooks (vegetarian/non-dairy e-cookbooks):  A Taste of Vitality and Desserts of Vitality.

Over 90% of the recipes contained in these books are gluten free (no wheat, spelt, kamut, oats, barley, rye, etc.), and are therefore suitable for a person with celiac disease or a person (such as many on the autism spectrum) on a non-gluten diet. Many of the recipes are low-fat, and all recipes are nutrient dense. At this point, these two cookbooks contain over 150 original vegan recipes.

* Note: While the above cookbooks are available for free download, they are presented as shareware and a $10 contribution is suggested to benefit Vegan Outreach.

Merck and Go Red for Women from the American Heart Association are giving away free cookbooks to promote healthy eating. Just go here and play the Heart Smarts Challenge game. Once you earn 250 points and you can request the free cookbook.

Jolly Cook: Click here to sign up for your free cookbook from Jolly Cook!

California Walnuts has the following meal-planning publications available for free download:

• Smart Menus with California Walnuts:
  A collection of five recipes developed to showcase the versatility and great taste of California Walnuts.
• Walnuts Winning Recipes:
  A collection of healthy recipes from the six finalists of the I Love Walnuts! Recipe Contest
• Walnuts for Wellness:
  A collection of six recipes featuring Dr. Andrew Weil’s favorite appetizers, snacks and entrees made with California Walnuts.
• Walnut Wheel:
  Sensational walnut menus start here. Use this wheel to help you create innovative and tasty walnut dishes!

Bush’s Baked Beans has a What to Grill Guide available for free download, providing unique recipes and menu suggestions to make the most of your next grilling occasion.

Free PDF honey recipe booklets from Rowse Honey.

Omaha Steaks is offering their 2009 cookbook, Omaha Steaks Great Gathering Guide & Cookbook, both for free download or mail order.

Romance writer Roxanne Rustand is offering a free download of the cookbook Cooking by the Book, which contains a collection of recipes by two dozen authors.

A free gift from The California Olive Committee – a free recipe book featuring California ripe olives.

Click here to download a free recipe book, containing 15 recipes from Eagle Brand Foods.

Order (or download) a free Vegetarian Starter Kit (contains recipes & tips)

SeaPak is offering a free downloadable shrimp recipe book.

The folks at Campbell’s are helping us survive the current economic crisis by offering a free Budget Friendly Meals cookbook, as well as a $1 off coupon.  (And while you’re there, be sure to check out their collection of St. Patrick’s Day recipes.)

California Raisins – Click here to sign up for your free California Raisins recipe book.

Homemade Holiday Cookies: free printable cookie cookbook from allrecipes – with recipes, tips and lavish color photographs

Sign up for these free Sun-Maid Recipe Booklets:

• Recipes for Healthier Eating
• The New Taste of Tradition
• Fruit & Sunshine Recipes
• Family Favorite Recipes

FREE Cookbook:  Gooseberry Patch Fall Favorites with Sun-Maid Raisins & Dried Fruit.

Download free snack brochure with recipes: 7 Days 7 Ways from the National Honey Board

Frontier Soups – free Dinner in Eight…Hours crock-pot cookbook.

Free recipe pamphlets using NO YOLKS & WACKY MAC.

Free Extended Wine Pairing & Tip Guide from Impromptu Gourmet

Free Copy of the HSUS Guide to Vegetarian Eating – packed with mouth-watering recipes and the hows and whys of making the transition to vegetarian eating.

Earthbound Farm Organic Products – obtain a free recipe brochure, featuring 8 recipes from Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook.

Free Recipe Booklet from Kitchen Basics – Fill out this form to receive the colorful recipe booklet Cooking with Stock, with 50 great recipes.

(Almost) Free Cookbooks from Athens Phyllo Dough: Athens Phyllo Dough is offering three different “free” cookbooks (not completely free because you have to pay for “shipping and handling”):

• Athens® Mini Fillo Shell Fillings Recipe Book
  Featuring more than 60 quick and easy recipes and color photos, the new Mini Fillo Shell Fillings Recipe Book shows how to create scrumptious hot and cold appetizers and delicious desserts using Athens Mini Fillo Shells.
  $2.99 for shipping and handling.
• Athens® Fillo Dough Recipe Book
  Celebrated chefs across the country share their best ideas for using Athens Fillo Dough to create appetizers, desserts and entrees in this 100-page recipe book. Athens Award-Winning Fillo Recipes contains beautiful, full-color photos, helpful directions and creative ideas for fillo dishes.
  $2.99 for shipping and handling.
• Krinos Greek Gourmet Cookbook
  Krinos, North America’s #1 importer of Mediterranean foods, invites you to explore more about authentic Greek cooking. Krinos Greek Gourmet Cookbook is 100 full-color pages of authentic Greek recipes.
  $4.00 for shipping and handling per book.

The Jiffy Mix company is giving away their Hospitality in a “JIFFY” Recipe Book. Simply click here to request a free copy.

As a way if saying “thanks” for visiting their website, HealthRecipes.com is offering several free cookbook downloads. They include:

• Italian Recipes
• Low Fat Recipes
• Chinese Recipes
• Crock Pot Recipes
• Mexican Recipes
• Salad Recipes
• Diabetic Recipes
• Soup Recipes

Free download of recipes from Oregon: Oregon Bounty Recipes – A Collection of Autumn Inspired Dishes From Some of Oregon’s Top Chefs

Free! From Hidden Valley Ranch – Download your free Original Bites Cookbook here.

The Prepared Pantry, a family-owned company which sells baking mixes, kitchen tools, baking ingredients, and gourmet foods, is your one-stop destination when it comes to baking “how-tos”. Not only do they offer a free 250-page baking reference book, they have an entire list of free baking guides and recipe collections, including:

• Everything You NEED to Know About Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The Wonderful World of Gingerbread
• Favorite Holiday Recipes: The Best Recipes for Special Occasions
• The Foods of Summer
• A Baker’s Guide to Chocolate
• The Perfect Pancake: A Pancake for Every Occassion
• Biscuits & Shortcakes Guide
• The Pumpkin Baking Guide
• Everything You Need to Know to Make a Bag Lunch
• How to Make Rice Krispies® Treats: A Baking Guide
• Easy Cheesecakes from A to Z
• The Perfect Pie: A Pie Lover’s Handbook
• A Baker’s Cookie Guide
• Emergency and Outdoor Bread Manual
• Baking Ingredients and How They Work
• Baking with Kids: Cupcakes, Cookies, and a Grandfather’s Advice
• A Handbook for Making Monkey Bread
• A Handbook for Roast Chicken
• 12 Things that You can Make with a Mini Bundt Pan
• The Pocket Sandwich and Piroshki Recipe Guide
• How to Make a Great Hamburger
• Classic Chicken Recipe Collection
• Dried Fruits Recipe Collection
• The Smoothie Collection
• The Pizza and Calzone Collection
• The White Pizza Collection
• The Cream Pie Collection
• The Omelet Collection
• The Angel Food Cake Collection
• A Collection of Muffin Recipes
• Easy Pannekoeken Guide
• Five Easy Steps to a Food Storage Plan
• How to Make Dinner Rolls
• Muffin Top Guide
• The Biscuit Recipe Collection
• A Collection of Bread Recipes
• A Collection of Fruit Pie Recipes
• Holiday Salad Recipes
• How to Make Braided Bread
• Pannekoeken & Popover Guide
• The No-Bake Cookie Guide
• Brown Betty Recipe Collection
• A Sampler of Chocolate Recipes
• How to Make Aebleskiver
• Monkey Bread & Other Sweet Breads Guide
• Nothing But Potato Salads Recipe Collection
• Omelet & Frittata Recipe Collection

Definitely a site worth checking out!

Free Online Cookbook from Gold Medal Whole Wheat

Love Thai food as much as I do? I was pleased to find this wonderful collection of downloadable cookbooks from A Taste of Thai:

• Favorite Thai Recipes
• Coconut Milk Recipes
• Dessert Recipes
• Seafood Recipes
• Rice Noodle Recipes
• Thai Vegetarian
• Chicken Recipes

A few Free “e-bies” to Share

Free ebook download:

The folks at Knowledge Quest are offering a free download of  Good King Wenscelas, one of many biographies featured in their book, What Really Happened During the Middle Ages.

Free lapbook:

The current CurrClick free download is The Girl in the Rag Coat project pack/lapbook by In the Hands of a Child.

Free Notebooking Pages:

Also from CurrClick, are some free Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages by Homeschool Notebooking.com. This set includes 15 Thanksgiving-themed notebooking pages and a Thanksgiving card.

Homeschool Freebie of the Day:

…And don’t forget to check out The Homeschool Freebie of the Day site! They are offering some great Thanksgiving-related products this week.

Don’t Forget to Pick Up Your Free Taco Today!

As part of a promotion between Taco Bell and Major League Baseball, if a base was stolen during the World Series (and it was), everyone in America is entitled to one free taco today between the hours of 2pm and 6pm. Don’t miss out!

Complete Details

Organizational Freebies

Let All Things Be Done Decently and In Order
1 Corinthians 14:40

It’s me, the bloggin’ neat freak. I thrive on order. I need organization. So with HomeschoolEStore offering a FREE Organizational ebook this week, I figured I would share some other great *FREE* resources for getting organized.

• The Organized Home.com printable planner pages
• Free Printables from Chart Jungle
• The Homeschool Mom Planner and Organizer
• Donna Young Printables
• Highland Heritage Forms

One of my FAVORITE products for homeschool record-keeping is homeschool tracker. I have been using this software for years, I find it to be indispensable! The makers of homeschool tracker graciously offer the basic version (which is great) for free! I used it for a very long time before my friend Sarah gifted me with the deluxe version (which I LOVE).

Free Homeschool Resources: Presidential Elections

Election time is quickly approaching. It will be here before you know it! Although I still don’t have any children who are old enough to vote yet, I desire to teach them as much as I can about the process. The work has been done for me. I want to thank the following individuals for offering free resources for teaching about the election:

• Cindy Downes of Oklahoma Homeschool – A Free 12-week Presidents & Elections Unit Study for Primary Grades!
• PBSKids.org -”Zoom Out the Vote!“
• The Teaching Home Newsletter – An Introduction to Government, United States Government, Our Responsibilities in Government, Presidential Election Internet-Based Unit Study – Part 1, Presidential Election Internet-Based Unit Study – Part 2
• CNN – America Votes
• Reach Every Child – Resources for Presidential Studies
• CNN Politics – Election 2008
• Project Vote Smart
• Ben’s Guide to Government for Kids – The Election Process (Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12), Electoral College (Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)
• MarcGram – The Presidential Race

Free Pages from NotebookingPages.com This Week!

HomeSchoolEStore.com graciously offers a different free product every week for download, but I LOVE it when that free product is something from notebookingpages.com.

This week’s free product is just that! Just in time for President’s Day, you can now get a FREE download (no purchase necessary) of United States of America Notebooking Pages, complete with maps!

If you aren’t already familiar with notebookingpages.com, I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. These are a favorite homeschool resource in our home, especially the nature study pages!

Also available this week from notebookingpages.com and the HomeSchoolEStore are the Valentine Notebooking Pages.

In addition to offering these absolutely FREE, with no purchase necessary, HomeSchoolEStore is also currently giving away a Bible Study from Grapevine Studies – The New Testament Timeline Booklet, Teacher’s Edition, free with any purchase. Offer is available until March 1st (use coupon code 6c89de at checkout).

Freebie Friday – $10 for Amazon.com and MORE

Free $10 Amazon.com Gift Certificate!

• Rush to your nearest CoinStar machine today! CoinStar is offering free coin counting PLUS a free $10 Amazon gift certificate when you cash in $30 or more in coins. Click here for the details — but hurry, as the offer ends November 4th.

Freebies from Procter & Gamble

• Free Subscription to Color Source Magazine
• Free Sample of Metamucil Berry Burst
• Free Always & Tampax Pearl (Feminine Products) Samples

Coupons

• $8 off any Iams Dry Dog Food
• $5 off Iams Digestive Care Cat Food
• $3 off Crest ProHealth and $3 off Oral-B Vitality Toothbrush

Sweepstakes & Contests

• Together is Better Sweepstakes
  Grand Prize – $3,000
  First Prize (3 monthly) – $1,000
  Daily Drawings (3 daily) – Cascade products
• Holiday Jingles Sweepstakes
  Grand Prize (5) – Apple iPhone
  First Prize (10) – Apple iPod Shuffle
  Monthly Prizes – Febreze Products
• Best “Game Face” Contest
  Grand Prize – trip to NYC to meet Brady Quinn, Flat Panel LCD HDTV, Surround Sound System, Wii, & MORE
  First Prize (24) – Mini DV Digital Camcorder & MORE
• Holiday Helpers Sweepstakes
  Grand Prize – $3,000 toward new set of gourmet cookware.
  First Prize (3 monthly) – $1,000 toward new cookware.
  Daily Drawing – 22 oz. bottle of Dawn PLUS with Power Scrubbers
• Enter to Win a $500 Designer Bag.

TGIF – Show & Tell…and Freebies

SHOW AND TELL

I found out about the Show & Tell Friday memes (hosted by both Raising 4 Godly Men and There is No Place Like Home) while visiting Tiany’s blog, so I thought I would join in.

How about I begin with an explanation of that crazy Flying Pool Monkeys photo in my Wordless Wednesday post?

Yes folks, that photo is real…the only photoshop-ing I did to it was to resize it, then sharpen it a little. My children really are that crazy. And Miles to Go asked how I got them all to do that at the same time. They did that all on their own. They backed up about 20 feet and took a running start, racing to the pool and jumping in all at the same time, seeing who could jump the highest. (“Gator”, the 12-year-old looks like he’s sky-diving…I think he won). After a few times, they were all calling, “Hey mom! Take a picture!” Obviously, I obliged.

Sheryl asked if this is an indoor pool. It isn’t. Here in Florida the majority of the houses have screened back patios (that’s what this is), with most also having a small covered area, called a lanai. If the pool is located on the patio, it is screened in as well. I don’t know if the reason for all of this screening is because we live in swamp land (which equals bugs), or because it doesn’t get cold enough here to kill off the critters in the winter (which equals even more bugs), but at any rate, the screening is nice. And it gives you an extra living space for most of the year (as well as keeping alligators out of the pool ). Except for in the coldest months, we spend more time out here than anywhere. We can sit out here in the evenings and listen to the frogs and crickets and the calls of the great horned owls without being eaten alive by mosquitos or no-see-ums.

And in praise of my screened lanai, and since I haven’t shared any recipes this week, how about this one?

The Lanai Sandwich

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Can (8-ounce) pineapple slices (in juice)
• 1/4 Cup Reduced calorie mayonnaise
• 1 T Prepared mustard
• 1 Green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/8 Tsp Cayenne pepper
• 8 Slices 9-grain bread
• 4 Slices Baked ham
• 4 Slices Reduced fat Swiss cheese
• 4 Iceberg lettuce leaves

Method of Preparation:

• Place strainer inside a mixing bowl.
• Pour pineapple slices into strainer; drain.
• Combine 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice with mayonnaise, mustard, green onion, and cayenne.
• Spread over one side of each slice of bread.
• Lay four slices of bread flat on counter. Layer the ham, cheese, pineapple, lettuce, and remaining bread slices.
• Place on cutting board. Cut sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve.

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FREEBIE FRIDAY

It’s been a while since I posted a Freebie Friday entry, so I’ll try to make this one worthwhile.

1. Dove.com is currently offering all kinds of freebies. The Dove Hair Care products page allows you to choose one sample from the following: Advanced Care Color Therapy for Lightened Hair, Advanced Care Color Therapy for Darkened Hair, Advanced Care Sheer Moisture Therapy and Advanced Care Intense Damage Therapy, Cool Moisture, or pro.age. There are also individual free offers on this page for Dove Energy Glow, Dove pro.age (choose from deodorant -or- shampoo and conditioner), and Dove Ultimate Clear. HURRY. All of these offers are noted “while supplies last”.
2. Want more shampoo? Visit Hairapy to sign up for a free Sunsilk sample pack, which includes shampoo, conditioner, and creme, along with $2 in gift cards.
3. BillyGraham.org is offering (for free) the inspiring book Sitting By My Laughing Fire, a volume of Ruth Bell Graham’s poetry, chosen by and assembled by Ruth herself!
4. Lysol.com is offering a free Healthy Habits Activity Book for Kids (either for download in PDF form, or in print), which is said to “Teach your kids fun ways to learn healthy habits with this exciting booklet filled with games, puzzles, pictures and more“.
5. Fisher Price is offering a free Planet Heroes DVD, “Ace in Space”.
6. Ragu is offering a free “Soccer Short-cuts” cookbook (available both in print and for download). I first found out about this offer through 5 Minutes For Mom a while back and ordered one. It has arrived, and is a cute little book, full of recipes that the children can easily whip up on their own.
7. Like raisins? Speaking of free cookbooks, SunMaid Raisins is offering a choice of four different recipe booklets in print (one of these also available for pdf download). Choose from the following titles: Fruit & Sunshine, The New Taste of Tradition, Recipes for Healthier Eating, and Family Favorite Recipes.
8. If you’re interested in even more recipes, click over to the Reynold’s Kitchen site to download a free copy of the Grillaxation Grilling Guide, and while you’re there, be sure to order your free sample of Reynold’s parchment paper .

AND FOR THE EDUCATOR’S AMONG US! Here are two great free resources for educators!

1. Incompetech offers free printable graph paper — all kinds!
2. And Gamequarium offers hundreds of *free* educational games.

Want a FREE $50 Prepaid American Express Card?

We’ve had Vonage (internet phone) for the last couple of years (and have been quite happy with it). I received an email from them today, offering referral incentives.

Anyone I refer gets 1 free month of service + a $50 American Express card. I in turn get up to two months of free service and a $50 American Express card.

The fine print reads:

* Referee must sign up for Vonage by July 15, 2007 for the referrer and referee to receive the pre-paid card. Referee and Referrer must be in good standing for 30 days after referee signs up. After 30 days, eligible referrers and referees will receive their card at their Vonage mailing address.

So basically, it sounds like if you pay for 1 month’s service ($15.00), you will then get another month free, plus the $50. You can’t lose! Just for signing up, you will be coming out $50 ($35 cash and $15 service) ahead!
If you’re interested, either leave a comment with your email address, or send me an email (contact info in the sidebar) and I will refer you!

*FREE* Game

My friend Dawn let me know about this free offer for Mother’s Day, and I thought I’d pass it along.

Hey there,

Mother’s Day is on Sunday (you didn’t forget, did you?), and PopCap wants to celebrate all the moms in the world – so we’re giving away Bejeweled for FREE!

Bejeweled is the game that started it all for PopCap; so it just makes sense to share it with your mom, who certainly helped get you started in the world. So go ahead, send your mom some relaxing fun, it’s FREE, with no strings attached. Or if you’re a mom, keep the gift for yourself you definitely deserve it.

To all the moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
A Gift For Mom!!

Click BUY NOW on the Bejeweled game page to add it to your shopping cart, then enter this coupon code at checkout:

FREE4MOMS