Friends… I’m going to admit, this time of year is hard for me. I am one of those people who tends to say yes and overcommit to way too much, and then I’m a grouchy bear when I should really be joyful and happy. I LOVE this time of year… love love love it. I get so angry with myself when I over complicate the season by putting so much pressure on myself to get it all done! That’s ridiculous and not a good way to celebrate the holidays!

I am excited to say that this year, in The Doyle household, we are focusing on keeping things simple. We aren’t going to say yes to every event, party, opportunity that comes along. Instead, we are going to practice the art of living simply… and I really do believe it is an art! Simplicity is not something that comes naturally to many of us!…

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Happy 2014, friends! I hope your new year is off to a very happy start!

Every year, instead of giving myself a list of resolutions I most likely won’t keep, I choose one focus word. My word for 2011 was Happiness (hence starting my Happiness Reports), 2012 I chose Connect (which launched my Connect through Reading posts) and 2013 my word was Simplify (Simplify Saturday was a result).

My focus word for 2014 is…

So what does it mean to INVEST in 2014? Well, much to my husbands dismay I’m not referring to stocks and savings accounts, necessarily. Instead I’m talking about plans to:…

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The post Silhouette Cameo Giveaway and BLACK FRIDAY Announcement! appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I’m excited to be partnering with Lipton and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to introduce you all to the new Lipton K-Cups and offer a wonderful K-Cup and Keurig Platnium Brewing System giveaway!…

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The post Lipton Tea K-Cups and Platinum Plus Keurig Brewer Giveaway appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Nicole Newman! Thanks to all for entering.

Knives are one of those things you don’t really appreciate how bad the ones you have are until you have a set of really awesome ones. You don’t know that slicing an apple shouldn’t count as your upper arm workout for the day. It’s possible you may not understand cutting into a fresh loaf of bread doesn’t mean completely demolishing each piece as you try to carve each slice. A really GREAT set of knives can make all the difference in the kitchen, which is what I discovered when I received a set of Chicago Cutlery DesignPro Knives. A sharp, well designed knife can easily be your most important utensil and can save you so much time as you work.

This summer I struggled with simply slicing tomatoes with ease… my old knives were even recently professionally sharpened, they just weren’t built for the job. Now that I have a set of Chicago Cutlery DesignPro knives, I understand that slicing into a tomato isn’t supposed to be a struggle. A good knife will slide right through with ease.

Chicago Cutlery DesignPro Knives feature a well designed grip that guides your hand to the right position on the knife for superior control and cutting. I’ve noticed a huge difference when chopping, slicing, carving, etc. The design of the handle gives me the confidence and control I want.

My friends at Chicago Cutlery have offered to give one lucky Dine & Dish reader a pair of knives. Up for the giveaway is one (1) DesignPro Bread Knife and one (1) DesignPro Partoku knife (my new favorite)!

Giveaway Details:

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me how a pair of good knives could help you in your kitchen.

For additional entries:

• Share a link to this post on any or all of your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, etc). Leave a separate comment on this post for each place you share it at.

All comments must be received by midnight, CST on Wednesday, September 12th 2012. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified via valid email address. Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I am a paid brand ambassador for Chicago Cutlery. They are providing the items for this giveaway. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Chicago Cutlery DesignPro Knife Set Giveaway! CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I am sitting here, at 4pm, stuck in bed with the flu. Not quite the start to 2012 I was hoping for! Flu aside, I am really excited for the start of a new year.

Every new year I select one word to help guide my year. 2011 my word was “happiness”. I read and was inspired by The Happiness Project and it seemed only natural to focus my 2011 on intentional happiness. My “Happiness Reports” will continue into 2012, but my word is going to change.

For 2012 my word is CONNECT.

I want to spend time developing relationships and connecting with others on a deeper level. I want to connect with my husband through (at least) monthly date nights. I want to connect with my kids by spending more one on one time with them. I want to connect with my friends, making getting together with them regularly a priority. I want to spend time with my family…visit them more. I want to find blogs that move me and spend more time reading them. I want to engage my mind… read more, take more photos, live life vibrantly.

As a visual reminder of my 2012 word, I ordered a stamped metal bracelet from The Rusted Chain. On my bracelet will be the word “Connect”. Beki has generously offered to give one lucky Dine & Dish reader a 2012 word bracelet as well! To enter the giveaway for a stamped metal cuff bracelet from The Rusted Chain, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your focus word is for 2012.

For additional entries:

• Become a fan of The Rusted Chain on Facebook
• Tweet the following “I hope to set my 2012 intentions in metal by winning a bracelet from The Rusted Chain & @DineandDish http://bit.ly/wmEchi “

All entries must be received by midnight, CST on Tuesday, January 9th, 2012. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified via valid email address.

The post Connect in 2012 {Giveaway: The Rusted Chain Bracelet} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner was Ashley Curcio. Thanks to all who entered!

Before I had my first Le Creuset I just didn’t get it. What was it about these colorful pots that warranted all the attention they received from culinary enthusiasts. Sure, they were beautiful, but there had to be more to these pans then just their good looks….

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The post A Le Creuset French Oven Giveaway! CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner, chosen by Random.org, is Caroline Mellis. Thank you so much to all who entered!

My hands are always busy. I’m brushing little girls hair, putting away dishes, cooking dinner, changing diapers, giving hugs, typing, turning book pages, washing mirrors, vacuuming… you get the picture.

This week, my hands were busy attempting to make pie crusts. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, it’s possible you have seen my 10 failed attempts to create a good pie shell. I took helpful advice from everyone as to why my pie crust might have been folding in and collapsing. No matter what I tried (freeze the butter, chill the flour, use pie weights, crimp the crust over the edge, etc. etc. etc) my results were the same..not good.

After one such frustrated tweet, my phone rang. Hands covered in flour and butter from working the dough, I normally would have just skipped the call. When my VTech phone system caller ID announced it was my mom, I knew I wanted to answer it. Luckily, I had on my hands free cordless headset that goes along with my VTech LS6475-3 phone. I didn’t miss the opportunity to chat with my mom (and to hear her great advice about my pie crust efforts) because I was able to talk with her free of using my hands to hold the handset.

We are definitley busy… you are too. It’s a fact of life right now for most of us. Multi-tasking is the only way to stay on top of things and survive. The VTech Multi-Tasking Phone System let’s you keep doing whatever is on your to-do list all the while enabling you to stay in touch with friends and loved ones via phone.

VTech Giveaway!

I’m excited to let you know that my friends at VTech have a great giveaway for you! They want you to experience the difference the VTech Multi-Tasking Phone can make with keeping you on task. Because of that, they are sharing a “multi-tasking” gift basket which includes:

• 1 Functional leather basket
• Chocolates
• Beverage warmer
• $100 Staples gift card
• Desktop organizer
• VTech Multi-tasking phone system
• Fun holiday trimmings

To enter the giveaway leave a comment on this post letting me know how you think the VTech Multi-Tasking phone system can help you in your busy life. For additional entries:

• Become a friend of VTech on Facebook. Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.
• Tweet the following ” Let @VTech411 & @DineandDish help you stay connected & on task with the VTech Multi-tasking phone #Giveaway http://su.pr/1UWtqj ” Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.

Giveaway will end on Thursday, December 8th, 2011. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified via valid email address. Thanks for entering and good luck!

This is a sponsored giveaway on behalf of VTech. All opinions expressed are my own.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Connect, Multitask & Get Stuff Done {Giveaway: VTech Multi-Tasking Phone} CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.