Tropical Tradtions Giveaway

Tropical Traditions came about because someone had a passion for doing things the best way possible. I'm not going to retell the whole story on the blog, but I really urge you to go see for yourself.


[We] extract the oil by grating the fresh coconut, extracting the coconut milk, and then letting the coconut milk stand in a covered container for about 24 hours. After about 24 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts.

We L-O-V-E to make a great curry at this house, and one of my favorite things about a good curry is the coconut milk, coconut smell, and coconut taste. I have to admit we haven't made it yet (we just got back from vacation) but we will be using a lot of this bottle for our chicken curry addiction.

How else will I be using it? I will be using it on my hair. Yep, my hair. It can be used both pre-wash and post-wash. Hey, I'll try anything to make my hair strong and shiny.

Want to win this big honkin' bottle of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions?


In order to gain your first (mandatory) entry go Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter

Do these things to earn additional entries:
Follow Tropical Traditions on twitter - 1 entry
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Put my buttons on your blog - 2 entries per button
Blog about this giveaway - 5 entries
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Make a drop on my entrecard - 1 entry daily
Send me cookies 100 entries (just kidding - or am I?)
Add my Giveaway to a Mr.Linky, Sweepstakes site, etc. Leave the link. - 5 entries each
Tweet this giveaway up to twice a day for en entry each time. Here is a tweet you can use:

Win a Quart of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions, a $37 value from If You Could See What I See http://tinyurl.com/lvc62u

*If you digg, stumble, kirtsy, share on a message board, email friends, or whatever else please let me know what you did and take another entry.

*Please be certain to claim each entry by leaving one comment per entry earned.

* You can find my other blogs listed across the top "Funnel Full of Soup" "Auntie Kitten" & "Suck/Rock"

*Click on my banner or the "Home" link to see a list of my giveaways and see what my friends are giving away.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents. It will end July 15th, 2009

Find a retail outlet near you

You must enter in the contest entry form.
Comments are not counted as entries for this giveaway.

Entry type = tweet, following on twitter, blogging, posting a button, etc.

I do not understand why someone would hang a wedding dress from a tree close to the street. Especially when said street gets high truck traffic. Can any of you shed some light on the reasoning behind this kind of behavior?

Note: I took this video with my new Flip camcorder. My daughter got it for me as a birthday gift and it is fantastic!

Calypso S.H.O.P. Totes Giveaway

I was cruising twitter one day and say Calypso say they wanted bloggers. I've seen their shop totes around and tried to win a set of them since the first time I saw them. I've only heard good things about them. Of course I answered the call.

When I came home from vacation a week or so later I had a little package with an "Acts of Kindness" be kind to the air tote in yellow. I'm impressed. The design is lovely. The whole set is one of my two favorite sets they sell. The bag is lightweight, large enough to carry, like, a big old watermelon, and the fold up into a very compact space. There are little buttons so you can fasten it together once you have folded it all up.

This bag would have been great last week at the beach. I'm sure it will be great at the grocery store, the mall, and everywhere else. I love how, if you get the set of three, you also get a carrying case.

There are new bags coming soon to take you through the holidays from Halloween to Christmas. They would make great presentation bags. Buy someone pillows, towels, blankets, sheets, cases of Pepsi, mass quantities of brownies, and use the tote as the wrapping.

I would be delighted to receive a shop tote full of assorted baked goods. For anyone who could benefit from an occasional care package you could fill it full of stuff and give them a reusable bag, too!

Whether you are shopping at the mall or going to the grocery store, these stylish and well made bags will make your trip easier.



They have jewelry, too. One of my all time favorite designers, April Cornell, has designed some jewelry for them. I wish she would design a set of their lightweight totes, but she says that isn't in the works at this time. I'll just keep wishing. Kathy Hatch, a new name to me, also has some really cute jewelry pieces. The jewelry on this site is all recession-priced, too.

<--Here's one of my favorites, snowflake necklace, for $15.

One lucky reader will win a tote and a piece of jewelry.

Here is how to enter to win: 1st, the mandatory entry:

Visit The Calypso Studios website, and tell me your favorite item.

For additional entries you may:

Follow Calypso Studios on twitter. - 1 entry
Become a fan of Calypso Studios on facebook -1 entry
Follow me on twitter - 1 entry
Follow this blog on blogger - 1 entry
Follow my other blogs on blogger -1 entry per blog
Subscribe to this blog via email or reader - 1 entry
Subscribe to my any of my blogs via email or reader- 1 entry per subscription
Put my buttons on your blog - 2 entries per button
Blog about this giveaway - 5 entries
Fave me on technorati - 1 entry per day
Make a drop on my entrecard - 1 entry (you may do this daily)
Send me cookies 100 entries (just kidding - or am I?)
Add my Giveaway to a Mr.Linky, Sweepstakes site, etc. Leave the link. - 5 entries each
Tweet this giveaway up to twice a day for en entry each time. Here is a tweet you can use:

Calypso S.H.O.P. tote AND jewelry giveaway at If You Could See What I See! http://tinyurl.com/nl82aq

*If you digg, stumble, kirtsy, share on a message board, email friends, or whatever else please let me know what you did and take another entry.

*Please be certain to claim each entry by leaving one comment per entry earned.

* You can find my other blogs listed across the top "Funnel Full of Soup" "Auntie Kitten" & "Suck/Rock"

*Click on my banner or the "Home" link to see a list of my giveaways and see what my friends are giving away.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents. It will end July 7th, 2009

Hilton Charlotte Center City, N.C.

We had friends to meet in Charlotte, N.C. on our way home from Hilton Head Island. Once again, this time from my room at the Crowne Plaza, I hopped on Priceline and named my own price for a hotel. I chose Charlotte Downtown - 4 star hotel. I bid $60. The bid was accepted immediately by Hilton Charlotte Center City. I called them right away to verify our reservations (both rooms) and request bed types.

Upon arrival to the hotel Rebecca at the front desk told me there were no King rooms available at all. She said "That's what you get when you use Priceline." I told her I understood. I do. I understand some hotels will treat you like less than a guest when you use Priceline. No biggie.

We went upstairs to our two rooms (606 & 607) with two full beds in each. (Another hotel which crams you into two doubles instead of two queens - what gives?) The kids dubbed it "The Taco Bell Hotel" because of the colors. They liked it, but thought it was funny. In their room there was something all over the wall above the beds. I don't even want to guess as to what it was. The halls obviously were not the responsibility of anyone in housekeeping, because the walls are pretty beat up and the carpets could use a good granny scrubbing.

When we got to our room we decided not to use the internet since, even though we are priority club members, there was a $10 fee per computer, even if you use the wired internet. My husband was happy to just watch the brand new 42" plasma. Problem: Even though the switch from analog has been in the works forever, and the hotel just had a TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLAR update, none of our HD channels worked. Translation: the only thing we could watch would be pay per view movies, at $16 each, after taxes. Gee, no thanks.

We called for some help. Les came up and was very nice. He tried to fix it, but it wasn't possible. He called down to the desk to ask if he could move us to a different room. Les gets my vote for #1 employee at this hotel.

"Sure" came back the answer on the radio "Room 615 is open." Guess what room 615 was like, REBECCA?? Why, it was a spacious room with a king bed, and a chaise lounge, a newly upgraded bathroom, and... the same problem with the television. Les said he would bring up an ethernet cord and give us free internet and let us watch pay per view movies free. As many as we want!

In the morning a pay per view movie was on the bill and I called down to the desk to tell them Les said he would leave a note on our account to waive the pay per view fees. She tells me it says to waive one. I tell her that is not what he told us, but thanks anyway. She immediately says she'll remove them both and adds "Have a great day." That was a quick turn around, wasn't it? I'm hoping it is because I was nice about it and was going to give up so easily.

The bathrooms are beautiful and have lighting as good as any bathroom I have ever seen. The new showers have marble bottoms, yes... but they are small rectangular marble tiles and they hurt your feet. Even my husband remarked about how uncomfortable they were. He says "No love was put into this place." I think I agree. It's a beautiful bathroom. Everything works well. The sink is not for children or the elderly, but it is modern. The coffee gets two thumbs up. It is a nice LaVazza from Italy.

The lights throughout the room are fantastic. Each little light has a built in dimmer giving you full control of the brightness. The bed was blissfully comfortable. The desk is huge and in the double bed rooms there is the only platform I have ever seen in any hotel which will actually hold a full sized suitcase. Very nifty indeed!

In the morning we ordered an omelet from room service. Nirvana. They bring it with little red potatoes with perfectly sauteed onions and bell peppers. Three of us who were up early shared it.

The hotel restaurant charges $18 per person for the breakfast buffet, and for all six of us, that's a hefty bill. $108. Before drinks and tip. Add $30 for drinks and a 30% tip and you're talking $162.84 for a breakfast buffet! Since I paid $60 per room and $18(!) for self parking, breakfast would have been more expensive than the two rooms and parking. We headed off to IHOP.

If I was going through Charlotte I would definitely stay here again, for the right price. Thank you Priceline!

Crowne Plaza Resort - Hilton Head Island, S.C.

During our time at Hilton Head last week we decided to extend our stay. I hopped on Priceline again and landed a different resort - The Crowne Plaza.We had stayed at this Crowne Plaza on other occasions, so we knew what to expect, sort of. I say sort of because this time, and maybe it was because we booked on Priceline(?) we didn't get the same quality of room as in the past. We always get a view of a rooftop full of air conditioners. This time we got a a better view... of the parking lot. Hey, it's better than air conditioners. Plus there was a big palm tree sort of in our face so it blocked a lot of the parking lot view.

The rooms we had (3065 - and the kids had 3061) started out with a television remote which did not work, a missing ethernet cord, a toilet which took a carnival strong man two pushes to flush, (and it was loud!) and hardly any water pressure. There was a red drink of some kind spilled all over the wall and carpet near one of the beds, which the maids never cleaned while we were there, either. I bet if you go check 3065 today, it is still there. Some odd stuff was falling onto the balcony which was barely wide enough to fit a chair, and and a television signal was very bad, even on our pay per view movie. You know what though? These things really didn't amount to a hill of beans.

As far as the room goes, it's attractive. It had two double beds, which I always find sort of insulting. Come on, you can't give us two queens? To be fair, this double bed thing also happened at the Marriott Resort and Spa. The air conditioning worked well, and the hallways were not hot like on previous visits, but also comfortably air conditioned. The sounds were terrible. You could hear the other rooms taking a shower, flushing, or pretty much anything they did. And it felt like Florida during Spring Break as far as the noise levels in the hallways. I just don't remember any of these issues in previous stays at this location. Then again, we were never on this end of the resort in the past.

Beautiful grounds:

They have gorgeous grounds with lots of lush greenery. There are ponds of water with wildlife. The turtles, especially, love to swim their mossy-backed selves over to the little bridge when you stand on it. The hammocks are the perfect resort hammock, and shaded for the lucky loungers. There is an outdoor pool with chairs. The umbrellas for the chairs are few and far between, leaving most guests in the blaring sun while they lounge. There is also an indoor pool. The lone jacuzzi is indoors with this pool. You have to have a room card with you to access this pool room. There are a handful of chaise lounges in with this pool. The hamburgers from the pool bar are out of this world. The fries hold their own, as well. I had a virgin orange creamsicle icy drink and it was really good too.

Mossy Turtles:

The beach access is fantastic. At low tide you end up with warm and interesting tide pools. There are ample showers and there is a nice big bathroom right there by the showers. Very handy for when you are staying at the beach for a while.

The kids made new friends on the beach:

David from the restaurant was really great with us. He's my choice for #1 employee at this location. We loved the Key Lime pie!

They have a decent gift shop, although the staff, usually consisting of one person, follows you at every turn. They do not greet you or try to help, they just watch you as if you're apt to rob them blind. Do resorts of this calibur have a big old bunch of shoplifters or do I just look like a gypsy?

Did I mention the kids made a few friends on the beach?

The check in desk, save a nice girl from England, could always use a course in 'friendly' as far as I am concerned. Ditto the bartender out by the pool, and pretty much any employee of this resort except the girls in the towel hut, who were sweet. The Crowne Plaza could take a lesson from the Marriott in how to treat the guests to make them feel welcomed. Nobody was terribly rude or anything, they just don't know how to make you feel like they enjoy you being with them.

Checkout is noon, and before 11:30 the same girl from housekeeping had bothered us THREE times to see when they could make up the room. Each time I told her we would be checking out that day. When I told her the third time, at 11:30, we would be gone by 12:00 she gave me an unhappy look. What was this about? I have no idea. I didn't care, either.

This isn't a place to avoid, but it isn't a place to expect a quiet getaway. It more than met our needs for us and our four children aged 16-23. I wouldn't be upset if I named my own price on Priceline and got the Crowne Plaza again, even with their less than friendly staff.

I would give them a B- overall, but on all my other visits I would have given them an A.

Marriott Resort and Spa, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Hilton Head Island is my all-time favorite beach vacation spot. I love the way it's low key and quiet. I love the twelve miles of beach, the restaurants, the people, the way it is all protected from looking commercial. Hilton Head is peaceful, but not boring.

This time we stayed at a couple of resorts. First we went to the Marriott Resort and Spa.

If I had to say it in one word: Amazing.

Lucky for me, I don't have to say things in one word! From the time I entered the lobby I felt like they were thrilled to have me visiting. This isn't always the case at Hilton Head resorts, but the Marriott treated us like we were movie stars. At the desk Brian, Roy, and Shiney all greeted me with enthusiasm and kindness. They were great about answering questions and being helpful in any way possible. They even extended platinum status to our 2nd room, which I had put under the name of my daughter.

A little aside: I booked this room through Priceline. (If you've read some other posts you know I like to book on Priceline.) I find the best hotels still treat you like a valued guest, even if you book on Priceline. Some of the others will not be as wonderful. Those are the places who are less likely to get my full price business. The Marriott Resort and Spa even removed the internet fees ($90 in total) and the parking fees (another $10 a day) for me because they wanted "to give me something for being platinum" They aren't allowed to upgrade rooms without a fee, even to platinum members, at that location. They also brought up our choice of welcome gifts to each room. In our room we took a half bottle of wine and some brie and berries. We sent ice cream and a Samuel Adams (which I confiscated for my husband to have later) to the room for the kids. There were two robes in each room, a mini fridge with a freezer, a mini safe, and ample pillows and towels for us. It also had a spacious balcony. We could see fireworks from our balcony in the evenings. It was a lovely view during the day as well.



It's simple to charge things to your room. The Marriott Resort and Spa does not try to force you to carry around a little paper card to do this. I feel the little paper card is a ridiculous expectation at a beachfront resort. We ate lunch poolside one day. The food was okay, but just okay. We really enjoy our food so the other days we left the resort for lunch. The bar has a nice little menu and drink menu printed on fans. What a clever idea! I liked getting an alcohol-free frozen raspberry drink to have around the pools.

Speaking of pools - Marriott wins for pools on Hilton Head Island. One indoor pool with warm water and an indoor spa. Nice. It's air conditioned in the room! They even have a big television you can watch from in the pool - usually playing Disney-type movies.Two outdoor pools and two outdoor spas. When the sun would start to go down the pools would be shaded, leaving hours worth of time with daylight and shaded pools. Even the beach ended up in shade for quite a while. There are plenty of chairs with umbrellas around the pools. PLENTY. Each chaise lounge also has a little flag you can raise for service. Every single employee at this resort was friendly and welcoming. Abdullah is another fine example of the quality people employed at this resort. He is a guest services manager and you find him all about the resort making sure people are happy and well taken care of.

Zachary did a little sand art:

I give the Marriott Resort and Spa on Hilton Head Island a perfect 10. This is how we felt when we had to leave.

Sand art done by Michael:

Hint for anyone traveling to Hilton Head Island soon:

Try "Name your own price" with Priceline for $75 a night. It worked for me twice - once for this stay at the Marriott, and once for Crowne Plaza when we decided we were not ready to leave the island just yet. You don't get to choose your resort with this method, but I have never stayed anywhere on Hilton Head Island and been disappointed. Be sure you bid for a resort. If they do not take your first bid for any reason (like say you start trying at $60 and they say no) just add the only option they give you for a nearby spot, which has no resorts to offer and raise your bid. You get a free 2nd bid this way. I was really hoping to get to stay at the Marriott for the 2nd Priceline bid, but Crowne Plaza grabbed us in just a few seconds. We have stayed at the Crowne Plaza in the past and loved it, so it wasn't terribly disappointing. We were getting to stay on the island, anyway!

We have a Winner! Carolina Pad

I just used the randomizer, which chose lucky number 51 in the Carolina Pad giveaway. Congratulations to hondaray6!

51. hondaray6 said... I tried to join the Insight Panal but got this:
Thank you for visiting Constant Contact!

I'm not holding it against you if you try to do what is asked and the website doesn't cooperate. I wouldn't want to lose a prize if it happened to me. So there you go, hondaray6. Please respond to my email with your mailing address and choice of prize.

Good luck everyone, on the future giveaways.

Marvelous Monday: Winners!

Today is Marvelous Monday for these lucky winners:

Pevonia Botanica Tropicale De-Aging line:

103. sito50 said...

I follow Pevonia Botanica on twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/sito50/status/1837952620

Country Bobs: 2 bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce:

Jean D. & Dolores Olsen