Drop what you’re doing, and head over to the Julie Knowles Pottery Store on Etsy! Visit her site: CLICK MEWhen she sent me her pottery to review, I instantly put it on TOP of my china cabinet, so it would be front and foremost for people to see as they come through the front door!Now, I love it so much, I got a custom candle poured into it, so it can be a permanent centerpiece in my kitchen!Julie Knowles Pottery is obviously VERY carefully made, and much effort was put into each detail. I love the glossy coating. It really makes it stand out from the rest of my pottery! I chose the polka dot bowl, because I am a polka dot fanatic! The colors were perfectly represented on her website! I am a fast fan of Julie Knowles, and will be ordering plenty of Christmas gifts from her!Here are a few of her pieces from her site! GORGEOUS, right??HOW MUCH would you love to OWN a Julie Knowles piece????Julie is offering a $15 shopping spree in her Etsy store! Her peices are very affordable, so you will have a ball shopping!To enter, please do any or all of the following:1. Comment below, with your email address2. Visit the Julie Knowles Pottery site by clicking HERE. Send Julie Knowles a direct email at JulieKnowlesPottery@yahoo.com and telling her PERSONALLY which item on her site you adore the most! This is a really important step, because your feedback is very important to her! Please comment below that you emailed her. 3. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do.4. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.5. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do.6. Email this contest out to your friends, and copy me on it at vaagen@bellsouth.net7. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet this contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3559029974. Comment below that you did.8. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HEREThe winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Wednesday, September 9th at 6pm. Good luck!Thank you for coming to Mingle Over Mocha with Anna!

ANOTHER fabulous game from GaZima Games, Zip is unlike any game you’ve played before! Zip is “The Fastest Dice Game in the Universe!” Gazima Games as done it again! They have created another unique game that keeps you on your toes!  This game, like Ratuki, can be played in a matter of minutes, but keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time!  You will be rolling dice to quickly achieve a specific combination, and if you don’t, you cannot advance on the board! Your card might instruct you to roll a combination of all even numbers, or a “straight,” or even all 4’s!  When a card has a star on it, all players compete, and the rolling frenzy begins! My 11 year old son LOVES this game, and beats me regularly! Another thing I like about the Gazima Games is that they are very colorful, and eye-catching.  Here is a picture of the contents of the game box: The box is a small cube, which makes it easy to take along on trips,  and very easy to store when you aren’t playing it! Would you love to win your own copy of ZIP! ? Here’s how to enter to win! Visit the Barnes and Noble site by clicking HERE and tell me why you would love to own a copy of ZIP!  Be sure to check out the ratings while you’re there- it is one of the few games on the site that has the highest customer rating possible! Gain an extra entry by joining the GaZima Games mailing list by clicking HERE Gain additional entries for each of the following: retweeting this contest: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3492337388 following this blog subscribing to this blog in email grabbing my blog button and placing it on your site following this blog on Facebook rating this blog on Technorati This contest will end on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 6pm!  Good luck!! Thank you for coming to Mingle Over Mocha with Anna!

If you’ve been a follower of my blog for very long, you know I am a BIG fan of games!!! Be sure to check all my current giveaways! There are 3 different games up for GIVEAWAY right now!! One for children (seen below in the Gamewright Review) and two for adults- Ratuki and Zip, both created by GaZima Games!!This is a review about one of my newest favorites- RATUKI! Ratuki is “The fast flippin', quick grabbin' card game!”My family is a busy family. Just to give you a glimpse into our lives, I’ll throw out these words that describe our weekly schedules-Husband that works constantly, homeschooling 4 kids, karate 3-4 days a week, real estate business, blog review business, music lessons for 3 children, field trips, homeschool group obligations, and… when I can… cleaning my house.So… When we finally all sit down together to play a game, it certainly can’t be a long one. This is one of the MANY reasons we love Ratuki! Ratuki is a super-fast, and super-fun card game, which is for 2-5 players, ages 7 and up!The object of Ratuki:In Ratuki™(ra-TOO-kee), everyone races to get rid of their cards and collect the most points by completing runs of five and shouting "Ratuki!" First player to 100 wins. The cards are eye-catching in their many colors and designs! It makes you think fast, and move even faster! Even when I am watching others play it, it is so much fun!It is well-packaged in a small square box, so it is very easy to store, or pack for travelling!Would you love to win your own copy of Ratuki?Here’s how to enter to win!Visit the Barnes and Noble site by clicking HERE and tell me why you would love to own a copy of Ratuki! Be sure to check out the ratings while you’re there- it is one of the few games on the site that has the highest customer rating possible!Gain an extra entry by joining the GaZima Games mailing list by clicking HEREGain additional entries for each of the following:retweeting this contest: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3492136898 following this blogsubscribing to this blog in emailgrabbing my blog button and placing it on your sitefollowing this blog on Facebookrating this blog on TechnoratiThis contest will end on Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 6pm! Good luck!!Thank you for coming to Mingle Over Mocha with Anna!

I LOVE the Gamewright Company! Do you know them yet? After reading this review, you will certainly want to add them to your gift idea list for Christmas!  From the Gamewright website:  “Gamewright was founded in 1994 by four parents whose kids wanted great games. From the start, our mission has remained clear: Create the highest quality family games with outstanding play-value. Guided by themes and experiences that transcend age and salted with a bit of irreverence, our games are designed to foster laughter, learning, friendship and fun.  Over the years our family has grown to over 50 games, 150 awards, and countless happy players.” Include my family in that “countless happy players” group! The Gamewright company was VERY generous in allowing me to review three of their brand new games!  My children LOVED playing with all of them.  I wish I could post a video review of the kids playing the games, but to anyone outside of my home, it would have just looked like pure chaos.  :) My youngest two children absolutely loved Ring-O Flamingo!  It is their new pastime.  It is perfect for younger children, since they picked up on the rules of the game immediately!  They are 2 and 4, and they weren’t the ONLY ones who loved the game.  My older two children also love playing it… and so do I! The object of the game:  Ring the most flamingos by shooting life preservers from your playing piece!  But be careful, don’t ring a crocodile instead!  Here is a picture of my kiddos having a ball playing it! The next game we reviewed was, “Do You See What I See?”. We had a great time trying to collect all of the items on our Keep Me tiles!  This game is based on the award winning book, “Can You See What I See?” by Walter Wick.  Just to prove to you that children of all ages can play this game, my two year old beat the pants off the entire rest of the family when we played this game!! The next amazing game they sent us was BOOCHIE!!  :) This is just an incredibly fun game!  Think, horseshoes meets croquet, meets lawn darts, meets… well, I guess this game is actually just all-together unique!! Here is a picture of my kiddos having great fun with Boochie-   Watch this great commercial on the Boochie Game! Now, it’s YOUR turn!! The Gamewright Company is offering YOUR FAMILY a 2009 Gamewright game of your OWN!! To enter, please do the following: Mandatory for Entry: Comment below, telling me which game from THIS GROUP you would love to own if you win.  Be sure to leave your email in the comment, in case you win! Become a follower of this blog, and comment that you do For Extra Entries: Retweet this contest (http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3393681764) and comment that you do Gain an extra entry for asking your friends to subscribe to this blog, and commenting with their screen name Post this contest to your Facebook page, and leave the URL in the comments below. Become a follower of this blog on its Facebook page, and comment that you do Favorite this blog on Technorati (link in right hand column of this blog), and comment that you do Place my blog button on your blogsite, and leave the URL below This contest will end on Tuesday, August 25th at 6pm EST.  GOOD LUCK! Thank you for coming to Mingle Over Mocha with Anna!

    Recently, I had the pleasure of reviewing a Munchie Mug, by Witty Works, Inc.  You need a Munchie Mug if… You have a young child You have a house that you like to keep somewhat clean! Your little one enjoys being a bit independent You enjoy your sanity enough to not follow your little one’s every step around the house to ensure there is no spillage!  :) I usually give my little ones dry cereal, chopped veggies, or goldfish crackers in zip-top snack bags, or small cups.  But inevitably the snacks end up all over the floor, or the dogs try to stick their noses in the kids’ snack cups!  Either way, it’s not a favorable situation! My favorite things about the Munchie Mug are: They are the perfect size for little hands! They have a WONDERFUL closure system that allows little hands in, and surrounds them by a super-soft material, while not allowing what’s inside the cup to spill out! They are covered in adorable designs, which my littlest ones loves to look at while snacking! They are VERY simple to clean They have an adorable handle on the top, which allows my little ones to haul it everywhere with them- and they do! As you can see… My little one even NAPS with hers sometimes!  :) In order to win a Munchie Mug of your own… 1. Visit the Munchie Mug site by clicking HERE , and leave a comment telling me what you love the most! Want extra chances to win? 2. Subscribe to this blog (enter your email address in upper right corner), and comment that you do. 3. Follow this blog (in right hand column), and comment that you do.  Gain another entry for each friend you persuade to follow this blog!  (Leave extra comments with each friend’s name- you will get an extra entry for each friend who is in my “follow” list!) 4. Become a fan of this blog on Facebook by clicking HERE, and comment that you do. 5. Follow me on Twitter (vaagen) and ReTweet the details of this GREAT CONTEST on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vaagen/statuses/3250714085. Comment below that you did. 6. Favorite this blog on Technorati by clicking HERE The winner will be chosen by random drawing on http://www.random.org/integers/ on Tuesday, August 18 at 6pm. Good luck! Thank you for coming to Mingle Over Mocha with Anna!