"An Offering to Venus"

Ok, so not really, unless I’m a Willendorf Venus, but a goddess is a goddess, right? Sadly, the idea of goddess-like beauty, by and large, is that of a slender woman.

Slender, I ain’t.

We’ve all dieted. We’ve all failed. We’ve all felt “fat.” But what’s fat? Yeah, yeah, yeah, there are scientific charts and all that, but culturally, what is fat? In America, fat seems to be a body fat ratio over 15% (healthy ratios are between 21-31%, by the way). In Polynesian and other tropical cultures, that’s considered sickly.

Even history has blurred the lines of the definition. Look at the art of Titian and classical/baroque artists and compare it to today’s models. Even Botticelli’s Venus – the epitome of beauty – would be considered “fat” by the standards of today’s western culture. Dare she have the rounded belly of a human with a uterus? Ladies, did it ever occur to you that a flat stomach is well nigh impossible for us because we have additional organs there that men don’t have? We have an amazing uterus that can cradle and sustain life, yet we want to hide its existence.

It’s all very aggravating and disgusting to me – not because I am a “large woman” (I held the same views when I was very thin), but because it impedes women’s confidence. And – believe it or not – her sensuality.

Okay, okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now…

Thankfully, I’ve begun to see a trend arising in which women are encouraged not to diet, but to eat intelligently. Among those intelligent eating decisions is increasing protein intake. What if you don’t want to eat more meat, though? What if you’ve had all the beans you can stand?

Yoplait to the rescue! Their new Yoplait Greek yogurt line has 12-14 grams of protein, depending on which of the four flavors you’re enjoying. That’s on average twice the amount of protein in other leading-brand yogurts. I got the chance to review the noms from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark recently.

Opa!

Yoplait Greek has four flavors currently available: plain, strawberry, blueberry, and honey vanilla. I received two coupons for free Yoplait Greek yogurt to try for my review, so I chose strawberry and honey vanilla. Before I could try them, my daughter Sarah decided to eat the strawberry. I asked her what she thought and she said, “It was really good!” I ate the honey vanilla before she could get her little hands on it, then went to the store to get some strawberry for myself.

If you like the sharpness of traditional Greek cuisine, you’ll love these yogurts. I’m a mellow flavor girl myself, so I wasn’t overly fond of the flavor. My husband who likes food that “bites back” liked both the strawberry and the honey vanilla flavors I shared with him. Okay, he finished them off.

I also got a box of  ”Nourish Your Inner Goddess” goodies from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark in appreciation of my review. Tell me what woman doesn’t like a little pampering? Heck, seven-year-old Sarah has carried off my massager, and I have no doubt she’s used both the nail brush and the scrubbing sponge in the shower. I’m tellin’ ya, though – that scrubbing sponge? Well, to borrow from the Greeks again:

Opa!

You want it, don’t you? I know you do. That’s okay, because I can hook you up. Yoplait and MyBlogSpark also gave me the opportunity to give one of you a “Nourish Your Inner Goddess” prize pack including two VIP coupons* for your own Yoplait Greek yogurt and pampering goodies you see in the picture.

You totally love me now, don’t you?

*Mandatory Entry*: Tell us what kind of goddess you are. Are you more like Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home, or Aphrodite? Are you a warrior Athena or an agricultural Demeter?

Extra Entries:

• Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet. This can be done once each day. Neato trick: just click that link and it will open a new window with the status filled in for you – all you have to do is click update!
  visit @3stairs to win a pampering prize from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark! http://bit.ly/aJuDf6
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.
• Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.

• By RSS:
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
• Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!
  

I’ll let Random.org choose a winner on June 21, so get your entries in by 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 20!

Disclosure:

I received two coupons for a free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt and a pampering prize pack as a thank-you for this review and hosting this giveaway. I did not receive any other compensation for this giveaway.

*This coupon offer for a free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

After a heart-stopping fiasco with the database and my husband’s heroic recovery of every post, page, and media file I’ve uploaded since 2005, I can now tell you that we have a winner of this year’s vintage apron giveaway.

Veronica Garrett is the lucky winner that will get an apron because…
My mother always wore an apron on the kitchen. I would love to wear a retro apron.

I’ve sent an e-mail to Miss Veronica, who has 48 hours to respond before I’m forced to pick another winner.

Congratulations, Veronica!

And for those of you that didn’t win, I’ve decided to make this an annual giveaway since it’s been so popular both times I’ve done it. Mark your calendar for next year to come win your vintage apron!

Pancake Artist Extraordinaire

I thought I’d share some of the neat things I’ve discovered this week. Well, not that I “discovered” per se, but it’s new to me.

As if the logo for the blog header weren’t awesome enough, this guy makes flowers, penquins, and even giraffes from pancake batter. Just wait ’till you see the crane! It’s a relatively new blog, but Jim’s Pancakes is one I’ll be keeping an eye on.

"bow ties are cool"

According to the Telegraph News of the UK, Doctor Who has caused an upswing in bow tie popularity. Ironically enough, I read not one but two tutorials on making bow ties this week! For those of you that are more old-school, here’s a bow tie that you tie (complete with video tutorial on tying it); for the convenience-loving, here’s a pre-tied bow tie.

My favorite apron style

The Monday after Mother’s Day is National Wear Your Apron Day. I have several to choose from, ‘cuz I’m weird like that, you know. There’s an awesome article called Apron Evangelism that renewed my love of aprons several years ago. And just to prove that I’m not as weird as you think (okay, I probably am, but not because of this), check out The Apronista – an entire blog dedicated to aprons!

Don’t have one to celebrate? I’ve got a few to spare, so I’m giving one away! You’ll be all set for next year’s celebration with your very own vintage apron.

*Mandatory Entry*: Leave a comment telling me why you want an apron. Did your mother or grandmother wear one? Are you a messy cook? Retro cool?

Extra Entries:

• Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet. This can be done once each day. Neato trick: just click that link and it will open a new window with the status filled in for you – all you have to do is click update!
  visit @3stairs to win a vintage apron! http://bit.ly/bk3Qqm
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.
• Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.

  By RSS:
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
• Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!

  <a href=”http://3stairs.com/” mce_href=”http://3stairs.com/” target=”blank” rel=”tag”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3286902682_b56826d460_o.png” mce_src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3286902682_b56826d460_o.png”/></a>

I’ll let Random.org choose a winner on May 17, so get your entries in by 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 16!

Thanks for making this giveaway a Prizey Pick!

We have a winner! Kelly will get a 16×20 rolled canvas print of a family portrait from UPrinting.com like she wished!

Huzzah for wishes coming true!

Go me; go me; go me! Okay, okay – go UPrinting; go UPrinting; go UPrinting!

*Ahem*

Congratulations, Kelly!

Sad that you didn’t win? Don’t worry, just go to UPrinting.com and you can order your own custom print!

Enter to win a 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print!

My mom has a picture of my stepdad in her house that was printed on canvas. I’ve always been fascinated by painted portraits, but knew that there would never be one in my future since they are so expensive. Now they have Artist Canvas Prints, where they print a photograph on artist’s canvas. WOW! I just may get that dream fulfilled yet!

UPrinting.com has rolled canvas prints in sizes ranging from 8×10 all the way up to 40×60 – that’s over 3 feet by 4 feet, ya’ll! They can even do custom sizes from 8×8 to 55×100, so you can do your picture up right. Want to know the coolest thing? These things start at only $15! I pay that much for a dinky little picture package for my kids’ school pictures!

Okay, I have to admit that’s the second-coolest thing. Why? Because the coolest thing is that UPrinting.com is giving one 3Stairs reader a 16×20 rolled canvas print with free shipping! See? That is the coolest thing, isn’t it? Here’s the deets:

(1) 16×20 Rolled Canvas Print
Specifications: 1 Business Day Turnaround
Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping
Eligibility: Limited to US Residents only. Must be 18 years old and up.

*Mandatory Entry*: Tell us what kind of picture you’d get printed if you win. Will it be a portrait, a great candid shot, or a scenic shot – or maybe even a graphic design? Share your ideas!

Extra Entries:

• Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet. This can be done once each day. Neato trick: just click that link and it will open a new window with the status filled in for you – all you have to do is click update!
  visit @3stairs to win a 16×20 rolled canvas print from @uprinting! http://bit.ly/aCysbh
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.
• Follow UPrinting on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.
• Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.

  By RSS:
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
• Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!

  <a href=”http://3stairs.com/” mce_href=”http://3stairs.com/” target=”blank” rel=”tag”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3286902682_b56826d460_o.png” mce_src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3286902682_b56826d460_o.png”/></a>

I’ll let Random.org choose a winner on April 27, so get your entries in by 11:59 pm on Monday, April 26!

Disclosure: I will receive a 16×20 rolled canvas print as a thank-you for hosting this giveaway.

I did not receive any other compensation for this giveaway.