Shannon is giving away an Oreck today over at Bloggy Giveaways.

Go in peace, my friends.

And for the love of pete, drive carefully on the information superhighway.

Edited to add:

(HOLD THE PHONE! One more right here: Boing Boing Giveaway.)

(You’re welcome.)

Now in fairness I should tell you that I do not personally own an Oreck vacuum cleaner.

But Sister does. And Mama does. And if you were sitting around with all of us at any family gathering, at some point you would get to listen to Sister and Mama talk about the Oreck vacuum cleaner because OH! it’s so light! and OH! it just cleans like you wouldn’t believe! and OH! I don’t know what I ever did without it!

Suffice it to say that they are fans.

In fact, when Oreck contacted me about hosting a giveaway for the internets, I happened to be sitting in Mama and Daddy’s living room. I said, “Hey, Mama – Oreck wants to give away a vacuum on my blog,” and no kidding, she practically jumped out of her chair and said, “Well, you’d be CRAZY if you didn’t!”

I guess it has escaped my mama’s attention that I am crazy, you know, REGARDLESS.

Oh, a mother’s love. It is blind.

Anyway, here’s a little information about the Oreck XL Ultra Vacuum Cleaner:

The Oreck XL Ultra makes cleaning a breeze – the vacuum weighs just 9 lbs. and lays flat to fit under beds and furniture, yet has the suction velocity of a category 2 hurricane to eliminate dust, dander, pet hair, pollen and even dust mites in a snap. A hypo-allergenic filtration system eliminates 99.9% of all allergens as you clean, unlike other bagless vacuums, which spread dirt and dust as you empty the canister. Oreck is so confident in the quality of the Oreck XL Ultra that they offer a 10-year warranty plus 10 annual free tune-ups to ensure that your Oreck will last and last!

And by the way, the Oreck XL retails for $499.95.

So you would probably be excited if you won.

If you’d like to enter this giveaway, here’s what you do:

1. Click here to check out the specifics of the Oreck XL. Please don’t skip this step. Or the internet police will be forced to give you a ticket (all together now: “So get! With it!”).

2. Come back to my blog, leave a comment and tell me which room in your house would benefit the most from a brand-spankin’ new Oreck (only one comment per person, por favor).

3. That’s all!

One little catch: you do have to be a resident of the continental United States in order to be eligible to win.

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, January 22, 2008. I’ll use Ye Olde Random.org to draw for a winner.

Have fun, y’all!

This giveaway is now closed.

The beginning of the year is prime time for getting involved in a new Bible study, and there are two great ones happening online.

I will now tell you a little bit about them.

Because I like to share.

The first study is going to be led my friend Kate, and her group will be reading through the Bible over the course of the next year. You can find details about it here.

The second study, “The Bible in 90 Days,” is being hosted by my friend Lori. You can find all the details here.

Later, interpeeps!

Welcome, internets!

I’m oh-so-glad that you’re here for this year’s Christmas Tour of Homes. I hope you have big fun clicking around, seeing everyone’s decorations, finding some great recipes, and pretty much being glued to the computer until your eyes cross and your family is begging you for food.

Which is totally the spirit of the season, now isn’t it?

And seriously, I figured out last year that this deal seems to work best if you only look at 20 or 25 houses at a time, take a computer break, and then come back for another round. It’s a marathon, people, not a sprint, so don’t overexert yourself. And for heaven’s sake, drink plenty of water. You have to stay hydrated or your mouse hand will cramp up and all your interweb training will go totally to waste. So tour carefully. Pace yourself.

One more thing: I think it would be ever-so-wonderful if you would make a point to leave a comment at every blog you visit. Don’t feel like there’s pressure to tell your life story or elaborate on the time that YOU MADE PEPPERMINT MOCHAS FOR A CHRISTMAS PARTY, TOO! Even if you keep your comment short and sweet – saying something as simple as “lovely” – you can still make a blogger’s day.

Just looking out for the interpeep posse, y’all.

So. Am I supposed to show you some pictures or something?

THAT’S A GREAT IDEA!

Here’s what you would see if you walked in our house, after you looked down to see the four pairs of shoes that you stumbled over trying to get in the front door.

And be sure to check out the box for the Xbox 360 – WITH GAMES STACKED ON TOP, MIND YOU – that flanks the right-hand side of the leather sofa.

I think it’s a real touch of Christmas klass.

However, on the table next to the Xbox stuff, there’s a star-shaped serving bowl that I picked up on clearance at Target last year, and I just love it – it is one of my favorite things.

Notice that I’m not serving anything in it. Because then you couldn’t see the cute design. And what would be the point if you covered up the cute?

Our tree is tucked in a corner next to the fireplace, and it looks pretty much identical to last year. Probably because Mama decorated it for the second year in a row.

And you may not know this, but Santa left an extra special treat under our tree a couple of weeks ago. Yes, yes he did. You can read all about that here when you have some extra time. It was quite a treasure.

Our fireplace doesn’t have a mantle, so last year I decided that I’d decorate the bar in our living room instead (yes, I said “bar in our living room” – welcome to home construction circa 1974), and I did same thing this year. Since I normally blog from the bar, I’ve had to relocate the BooMama, Inc. International Headquarters until Christmas is over, but that is perfectly fine because, well, sometimes decorating requires sacrifices, my friends.

I actually have two new additions to the little display on the bar this year:

I don’t know what these little dealies are, exactly, but I bought them this past summer at an estate sale. I just think they’re so fun and retro and sparkly, a combination that I am completely incapable of resisting.

Unless that combination arrives in the form of old shoes. In which case I am not at all tempted to make any sort of purchase.

Hey! Would you like to see my dining room?

OKAY!

This first picture of the dining room cracks me up, mainly because it seems to indicate that we have some sort of disco theme going on. Which might not be completely out of the question, what with that BAR in our LIVING ROOM and all.

And the feather trees? Another Christmas clearance find at Target. I’ve enjoyed them so much this year, and if admitting that YOU HAVE ENJOYED FEATHER TREES isn’t a sure sign that you’re getting older, I don’t know what is.

Our nativity scene is on a table in the corner of our dining room, and the little man loves to move around all the pieces.

Apparently, if this most recent arrangement is any indication, the animals were not permitted to look at our Lord and Savior.

Either that or we’re dealing with a guard cow and a guard donkey.

Not to mention a completely apathetic lamb.

I’ve mentioned before that I love (LURVE) to decorate my dining room table with china and crystal at Christmastime. And I really like to mix and match, using bits and pieces of whatever happens to strike my fancy. This year I used some charger plates that Sister and I found at Old Time Pottery for a whopping one dollar each, and then I used dinner plates from my wedding china, topped off with smaller plates from my holiday china.

I like to pick up the smaller plates before we eat Christmas dinner, set them aside and then use them for dessert – that way everybody can get an assortment of their favorite treats. No little dessert plates for us. No ma’am.

And I know that several of y’all thought I was INSANE! CRAZY LADY INSANE! for putting out my china and crystal when there is a very active four year-old in our house, but aside from having to remind him to PLEASE QUIT JUMPING NEXT TO THE CHINA CABINET, he does a great job of leaving all the breakables alone.

SEE? HE’S NOT EVEN THROWING ANYTHING!

Finally (yes! the end is near! mercifully near!), last year I put a Christmas tree in our little boy’s playroom (the tree was free after a Home Depot rebate), and I used that tree to display all our Christmas cards. By the time Christmas day gets here the tree will be chock-full-o-cards, and it is absolutely a tradition that I will continue for the rest of my life. So fun.

Just looking at it makes me happy.

It takes so little, really.

Merry Christmas, everybody! Happy Touring!

Please make sure to link to your SPECIFIC POST for the Tour of Homes – not just your general URL. Thanks!

1. Antique Mommy 2. Kelli 3. Big Mama 4. Rocks In My Dryer 5. Snippets and Sagas (It\’s The Little Things) 6. Jennifer: Wilson-six 7. delilah 8. Tiany 9. PEA 10. Org Junkie 11. Andrea (Southern Heart) 12. Joyful Days 13. annie 14. Dianne 15. Fresh Girl 16. wesley\’s mom 17. Natalie In TX – Casa De Galletti 18. Jamie 19. Praise and Coffee 20. Laurie 21. Robinznest 22. MississippiZen 23. Jamie Lea 24. Lynne-And Babies Make Six 25. Lisa@Take90West 26. Robin (PENSIEVE) :) 27. The Pumkin Patch 28. Kalyn K. 29. chickadee 30. KELLY-PARTY OF FIVE 31. Kelly\’s Korner 32. kathy b 33. Lana G! 34. Owlhaven 35. Tammy@Family Doin\’s 36. Stephenie F. 37. Valerie 38. Bah-humbug Mamacheryl 39. Susan 40. Kathy b, oops 41. JanMary – N Ireland 42. Vicky~FriendshipLoveLaughter 43. Life in the 10/40 Window 44. Dawn-Enigma Artist 45. aubirdwoman 46. DebraK 47. noniemae 48. Linda @ 2nd cup 49. HOOTIN\’ ANNI 50. HOOTIN\’ ANNI [short version] 51. Jodi 52. VicarageKate 53. Cheaper By The Half Dozen (Marybeth) 54. Gabby Gwenhwyfar\’s Country Christmas 55. Lolly 56. Nan of On my Porch 57. Maggie 58. Megan@FriedOkra (Plus, er… Some News) 59. Melissa\’s Idea Garden 60. nancy 61. Crooked Eyebrow 62. Jill in Atlanta 63. Holley in Tampa 64. A Joyful Life 65. Tammy/Photography for Fun 66. Karen 67. On the Eastern Journey – China 68. Musings of a Housewife 69. ellen b 70. Maria in NC 71. The Harbin Holla 72. Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality 73. sara\’s art house 74. Especially Heather 75. Dawn 76. Georgia Mom 77. Susan P. 78. Mycrazylife 79. Love Sows Seeds 80. Keetha at Write Kudzu 81. Kelly 82. dnksmommy / Lorrie 83. Glass Half Full 84. Lynley 85. Becky (Boys Rule My Life) 86. Judy – His Doorkeeper 87. Patty(GirlfriendsinGod) 88. jennifer 89. Jennifer, Snapshot 90. Kelly (The Feathered Nest) 91. Pam (Kids Kitchen) 92. Jennifer 93. PALMTREEFANATIC 94. Vivian ( REPURPOSED) 95. bj 96. Melene at Sing For Joy 97. Stef-BEKmom 98. Lauren@Baseballs&Bows 99. 5 Minutes for Mom 100. Mrs. Pivec 101. Candace 102. Capturing Today (TN) 103. Mom\’s Side of the Story 104. Sheila 105. Renee @ Count it Pure Joy 106. Rhonda 107. Kate Z @ i fell in love at 22 108. Jessica McCash 109. Jen (A Good Cup of Coffee) 110. Meredith Eisele 111. Jeri 112. chocolatechic 113. Brandy 114. Lora Lynn – Vitafamiliae 115. Jada 116. Blessed with olive plants around my table 117. Lady Why 118. Amy @ By His Grace 119. Mari 120. Kim @ Hind\’s feet 121. Multi-tasking Mommy 122. Mississippigirl 123. dawn 124. Cortney Hall 125. Nise\’ 126. Becky the Butler\’s wife 127. Sporty Mama 128. Ornery\’s Wife 129. So Blessed… 130. Katherine Yellow Rose Arbor 131. Jenni at One Thing 132. it\’s all about lea 133. Barbara H. 134. Lynn 135. Lissete 136. marina 137. Quirky 138. Kim – MomUnscripted 139. Heart Of A Mommy 140. KC 141. Jen @ One Moms World 142. Mrs. Who 143. Angela at Three Plus Two 144. pedaling 145. Kristy 146. chupieandjsmama 147. Nicki (My Boys and Me) 148. Jen 149. *** Stephanie @ Inspired *** 150. Tracy 151. Shannon @ Gabi\’s World 152. Liza\’s Eyeview (Maui) 153. Hope 154. Domestic Engineer In Training 155. kari and kijsa 156. Monkey Giggles 157. Cyndi @ One Day More 158. Jean@workingmomma247 159. amanda in taiwan 160. zamejias 161. Simply Jamie 162. Jenni 163. talking hairdryer 164. Carrie @ Three-Girl Circus

165. Queen B 166. Brittani\’s Holding Little Hands 167. Tracy 168. Donna (My Dear Family) 169. pedaling fast 170. Muses of Megret 171. Candace (Mama Mia) 172. I SHOULD BE FOLDING LAUNDRY 173. Holly Smith 174. Veggiemomof2 (inside decor) 175. Kristy @ Story of My Life 176. Susie Q 177. Sue 178. Haley 179. Jenn rambles on 180. It Coulda Been Worse 181. Robin 182. Susie (Pink Carnation in Bloom) 183. The Happy Homemaker 184. Anne 185. Miss Patti 186. Jennilyn (Jennifer) 187. Miz Booshay 188. GottaQuilt – Laurie 189. Michelle 190. Brea @ tommyandbrea.com 191. Gattina 192. Debby 193. The Inspired Room 194. Sandra 195. Staciesmadness 196. Ellen 197. Reformed Grits 198. JennaG 199. jessica 200. Michelle 201. Sileena 202. Lorraine 203. Ashley @ Twentysixcats 204. Liz @ Monkey Kisses 205. Lindsey 206. Nichole 207. Montana Hearts 208. Mrs. Bick 209. Darlene@kachoo5 210. oh amanda 211. Darcy 212. MarysMom 213. Our Liza Belle 214. Tina (In The Mind of a Thirtysomething Mom) 215. Shelley 216. Mission To Macie 217. Deb – Mom of 3 Girls 218. Wanderlust N Pixiedust 219. Miriam@It\’sAMomThing 220. Genni @ Mother, may I snore? 221. RibbonRockStar 222. Holly 223. Ruth 224. SJ from the Estrogen Ocean 225. Katie F. 226. boysmum2 227. Tabitha 228. Cindy (Still His Girl) 229. Lakewood Manor 230. She Laughs at the Days-My Little Hanukkah House 231. willblogforshoes 232. Susan 233. Heth (Laundrypile) 234. Jennifer 235. Braun Family Circus 236. Elrena (As Yet Untitled) 237. Libby in Australia 238. Melody 239. Sabrena 240. Jane in MI 241. Pure Joy 242. MamaBugs 243. Amanda 244. Princess At Heart 245. unclutteringandbeyond 246. Heather @ thosecrazyvolpes 247. on the ROCK 248. Kisses of Sunshine 249. Mrs. Mordecai 250. Kim the new bride!@blessed beyond belief 251. SJ 252. Liz @ Little Dash 253. Krista @ Married Life 254. The 4 Sullivans in Russia 255. We 4 Forgeys 256. Nancy 257. Sarah @ asthelordworks 258. Elaine@Bloginmyeye 259. Kristin 260. Mama C 261. cyn 262. margalit -hanukkah house 263. Tamara @ Pondered in My Heart 264. Adventures In Babywearing 265. Melanie at Beanpaste 266. PowersTwinB 267. Elaine 268. Gail 269. Julie Size 270. Nichole 271. Freddie Beasley 272. Parenting Tips 273. Heather 274. Linds 275. Mica Garb-oodles Soup Style !! 276. Linda 277. Jessie 278. hansli 279. Rachael 280. Jessica 281. Sandy 282. Lisa 283. Sarah (Twinkle…shine like stars) 284. Gena 285. Teresa (Dominican Christmas) 286. Susan 287. Melissa 288. Irene *The Green Greek* 289. Amberly 290. Angela in TN 291. Baby Bangs 292. Sharon – Pinks & Blues Girls 293. Alycia @Where Your Treasures Are 294. Deena SweetAnnee 295. Staci 296. Jennifer @ Zaankali\’s Adventures 297. Shari (always a child blog) 298. Traci Fuentes 299. Bugzmommy 300. Rhen (yestheyareallmine!!) 301. Kelly @ Love Well 302. Mariah 303. Christina 304. Alyson 305. Jane – Mama Doggy Love 306. J. Fergie 307. Distybug 308. Davedda 309. melli 310. Suzanne (Life In The Key of S) 311. AngBaylis 312. Becca 313. Amy at Crosswalk 314. Shelly 315. SillyMe @ JoyfulChaos 316. Jendi 317. Gina @ Portrait 318. Veronica Mitchell 319. Lisa R-P 320. Queen of My Domain 321. Teachermom 322. Jennifer (Random Musings) 323. Amy@P2P 324. Tracey/Show Me State…of Mind 325. Mrs Groovy 326. Nadine (Just Being Me) 327. gretchen 328. Kristyn

329. Jessica from NB 330. Carrie @ Oak Rise Cottage 331. FulmerFam 332. Heather 333. Lysa TerKeurst 334. party-of-five5 335. Erica (A Yankee In Jawja) 336. Bev Brandon @ Keep On Believing Mark 5:36 337. Megan (the O\’Neal Life) 338. Ginny Logan 339. a woman who is 340. Sharijoy 341. All Things Are Possible 342. Jane 343. Heather 344. mrs. parker 345. SAHMmy Says 346. New Diva 347. Auburn Gal Always 348. Christina 349. wickstrom adventures 350. Carrie 351. Kathleen Marie 352. Lisa 353. Veggiemomof2 (outside decor) 354. Cindy Green 355. Kim 356. Lorie\’s Stitch in Time 357. Anderson and Jake\’s Place 358. Kelly @ Where There\’s a Will 359. Nap Time Reflections 360. Liz @ The Lizness 361. Morgan 362. Holly 363. Sue 364. Tami 365. Good Things for M.E. 366. Kelly @ Parkison Family 367. The Nester 368. Amydeanne 369. Amy\’s Blah, Blah, Blogging 370. A Chelsea Morning 371. Child Development & Parenting advice 372. Ginnydreamin 373. Stef-BEKmom UPDATED 374. worshipfan 375. Wanda 376. Allison 377. Ginger 378. Episcopollyanna 379. Glamorous Jo 380. Kerri @ Living with a Labradoodle 381. logorrhea 382. Kim 383. Please Pass The Salt 384. Myrna 385. Ginnydreamin 386. Janel 387. Totallyscrappy 388. Kathleen aka Coffee Mom 389. heather (now it\’s up – couldn\’t get it loaded!) 390. Love Conquers All~Jeannene 391. Beth@sportsmomma 392. Cheaper By The Half Dozen (Marybeth) 393. karla 394. Nikki Angels of Heart 395. The Decorated House 396. hapilly ever after 397. Suzy 398. MaryLu 399. AZ Mama 400. Cheryl 401. Ginna 402. terronista 403. Not the Queen 404. Burgh Baby\’s Mom 405. Kaylyn- Dunlap Love 406. The Not So Pretty side of an open house! Lysa TerKeurst 407. Rhondi 408. willblogforshoes (the pictures) 409. Lallee 410. ReneeSwope-Proverbs 31 Ministries 411. M&Co 412. darcie wentworth 413. Fizz @ Fizzledink 414. JLO 415. April Landes 416. Lori Raggedy Ann Ornaments! 417. Laura 418. Mamacita 419. Karen – The Paper Cottage 420. jodi 421. Crystal 422. Bitsy 423. 50 toes 424. Lori – Queen of Dirty Laundry (Fashionably Late?) 425. Angela (Cottage Magpie) 426. tongue in cheek 427. Karen-OvertheBackyardFence 428. Jennifer(dailywalkwithchrist) 429. Charlene Kidd-Proverbs 31 Ministries 430. Terri 431. Life Among My Wild Flowers 432. The Bargain Shopper Lady 433. The Warnock Family 434. Xandra 435. Kristen 436. Michelle – direct link 437. Mabiana 438. Laugh Along With Me 439. Our Life 440. JoAnn in NJ 441. Jen 442. forgetfulone-my specific post link 443. Becky (FrumpMama) 444. Kelli @ Living In Grace 445. Kim(Lifesong…some new pictures! 446. emily 447. Nikki 448. Fields Of Heather 449. Scratchin\’ the Surface 450. Michelle 451. Andrea 452. Muddy 453. Proverbs31 454. Rhonda(mimi) 455. Erin @ Gallands and Pints 456. Burgh Baby 457. Forgetfulone 458. Karen 459. momto4 460. fully operational battle station 461. Mamma D 462. Herbwifemama 463. The Muffin 464. Poppy Buxom 465. Sandcastle Momma 466. Amy 467. Mrs T 468. Mommy Cracked 469. Jennifer 470. April 471. Barbare at Cotton Branch 472. Laura 473. virginia wieringa 474. Erin~~The Classy Rabbit 475. Angi 476. deeremama 477. Kim :) 478. Stephanie ~ Tha After Tour 479. where the boys are (Is there prize for being last?) 480. Aunt Mandy\’s Daily Perks 481. VerrySherry 482. Barbara 483. Poppy Buxom 484. Aunt Mandy\’s Daily Perks 485. Lynn 486. The Christmas Faerie

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Now normally I try to time my giveaways so that there’s about one a week, but in this case – what with it being so close to Christmas and all – I decided I’d better post about this particular giveaway RIGHTTHISSECOND because I want the winner to have her (or his!) prize in time to use it before Christmas.

So here’s the deal.

A week or so ago Lands’ End sent me a couple of items of clothing to try. I am not keeping the clothing, mind you, because of my ads agreement and because I’m afraid that if I start accepting all sorts of free stuff I’ll eventually be standing in the checkout line at Publix trying to work out a way to trade blog space for six cans of crushed pineapple, but I was all for trying on the clothes from Lands’ End if they might be something that you, the internets, would enjoy.

Well, the two things I tried were this jacket and these pants, and it probably comes as no surprise that I loved both items because OH, THE COMFORT.

OH, THE JOYOUS, FLEECE-Y COMFORT.

In addition to being very warm and cozy, the Lands’ End fleece is anti-static and anti-pet hair (I KNOW!). But more than anything, it’s just really, super comfortable – great stuff to put on when you need to run through the carpool line but don’t want to embarrass your kids by wearing your pajamas, NOT THAT ANY OF US WOULD EVER DO SUCH A THING.

Personally, I’m always on the lookout for “Mama clothes” that will put a little sassy in my step, and when I tried on the jacket and the pants, I felt like a regular Sassy McFleecerson, oh yes ma’am I did.

And you? You can feel like Sassy McFleecerson, too. Because Lands’ End is going to send one of you fabulous internets a $100 gift card.

I KNOW!

Here’s what you do if you’d like to win a $100 gift card from Lands’ End:

1. Click here to go to the Lands’ End website.

2. Look around. They have clothes for all shapes and sizes (plus, the men who are reading will find that there are also many manly items that they can wear with great manly pride).

3. Come back here and tell me at least one item you found for your Christmas wish list.

4. Go fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate. You must be exhausted from all that looking.

I’ll close this giveaway the morning of Monday, December 17th.

Have fun, y’all!

This giveaway is now closed. I’ll announce the winner Tuesday, December 18th. Thanks so much for the incredible response!