Thanks to everyone who entered the Lena Loves… Stonz contest. Every time I pull the booties on Ryder, I’m reminded what an awesome product they really are! I simply can’t wait to introduce them to one lucky winner.

Did you know that Stonz booties were recently spotted on celebrity babies such as Jennifer Garner’s daughter Seraphina, Trista Sutter’s son Max, and Halle Berry’s daughter Nahla? How cool! (Now if we can just get a pair on that fashionista Suri Cruise.)

Without further ado, the winner is… Navster! Congratulations!

Navster wrote: I am so happy that Stonz now makes large sizes. My son is over 2 now and I think the extra large in navy polka dots would be perfect for him.

Please send me an e-mail with your full name and contact details so that I can have the prize sent to you right away. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Stonz!

Do you know what happens when you save a ton of money? You invariably end up spending a ton of money.

Such is the case with the Beauty Clearance at The Bay. Certain Bay locations – namely, Erin Mills, Sherway Gardens, Yorkdale, Bloor Street and The Eaton Centre in Ontario – are clearing out their “Bath & Body” sections. No word why, but I suspect that it has something to do with poor sales. After all, when was the last time you thought, “Bubble Bath; The Bay.” Not very likely.

Nevertheless, ALL “Bath & Body” products are 50% off – which includes lines such as Crabtree & Evelyn, Cake Beauty, Vitabath, fresh, L’Occitane, Pacifica and more… including my all-time favourite, H2O Plus!!!

Okay, this is really bad. You all regard me as someone who loves to save, whereas my loved ones know me as someone who loves to spend. I think they’re two sides of the same coin, don’t you? After all, it’s my frugal ways which allow me the occasional luxury. So when I noticed that the products I use all the time were now being sold for 50% off, I’d be silly not to stock up, right? And certainly, H2O Plus would never offer me half price on their products – I wait with baited breath for a mere 25% off twice a year!

Long expiry dates? Check.
Perfect packaging? Check.
Best selling products? Check.
Favourites present? Check. Oh Crap. Much too many favourites present.

Now please don’t ask me how much this all cost because I can assure you, at 50% off I won’t have to buy beauty products for the next three years. It’s a smart investment, if you ask me.

Since it’s easier to break the news to Mike this way than to show him the receipt… honey, I bought some face cream and stuff today. Essentials. All of them. Love you.

Umm, am thinking the husband won’t understand the logic right away. Must pray he comes home in a good mood.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The forwards consist of a variety of Walmart customers, all caught in compromising situations. Obese shoppers wearing skin-tight spandex seems to be a common theme, as does the combination of fishnet stockings and a mustache. I usually regard the photos with a mixture of hilarity and disgust – wanting to avert my eyes, and yet scrolling on the next picture.

Yesterday, however, she sent what I consider the all-time funniest (most appalling?) “People of Walmart” photo ever – The Walmart Crib. The picture depicts Black Friday shoppers who are both scoring some fab deals and allowing their baby to take a nap.

OMG. Please don’t try this… ever.

After posting about Kelseys’ Wings Special yesterday, I began to develop a small (but extremely powerful) craving for chicken wings. Since I don’t own a deep fryer, any wings we enjoy at home are normally courtesy of M&M’s or President’s Choice.

So I decided to go digging for a healthier alternative to the classic fried clucker, and came across this recipe for baked Buffalo-style chicken wings. The recipe was given 5 stars by over 1,500 chefs, so I’m assuming it’s a keeper. We’ll try them out this weekend, and I’ll let you know if my wing craving has been sufficiently satiated.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings

DIRECTIONS

Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

Bake directly on oven rack (with baking sheet underneath to catch drippings) at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Increase oven heat to 375 degrees, and spray the wings with cooking spray. Bake 5 more minutes until crispy. Place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve. Makes 20 chicken wings.

I love when stores tag on additional savings to already hot prices. Popped into Jacob last night, where I witnessed racks and racks of clothing reduced to under $49.99. (Tons of sweaters on for between $9.99 and $29.99.) Might be a good time to stop by for a looksee.

Jacob is one of those classy stores who applies the same return policy to all merchandise, so you can grab your sale stuff now, and agonize over your purchase later.

Yesterday afternoon I received a lovely e-mail from Cathy, who gave me the heads up on a truly worthwhile cause – where, being charitable and scoring a deal, is Lena Approved!

Until February 14th, 2010, head into your nearest Aéropostale armed with all those jeans at the back of your closet. The “Two Sizes Too Small” jeans, the “Super Low Wide Flare” jeans, and especially the “I Don’t Even Remember Buying These” jeans. In exchange, they’ll give you a coupon for 25% off a pair of Aéropostale jeans, and donate your used jeans to the people of Haiti! Neat-o!

Another reason to give… Aéropostale will match the first 100,000 pairs of jeans donated with a new pair, potentially sending 200,000 pairs of jeans to Haiti!

Here’s the fine print:

In Store: Bring in any brand of your gently worn jeans to any Aéropostale store from January 19, 2010 to February 14, 2010. To say thanks, Aéropostale will give you an addition 25% off your next pair of jeans. All collected jeans will go to homeless teens.

Online: Enter promo code T4JEANS to receive 25% discount on a pair of jeans. Discount applies to only one pair of jeans and should only be used after you have donated. (Don’t scam the system, people.) Valid only on Aéropostale jeans. May not be combined with other promo code offers. Limit one use per email address. Valid from January 19, 2010 to February 28, 2010.

Looks like a fantabulous deal to me.

If you’re a movie or gaming buff, you may want to consider purchasing the Rogers BIG TICKET Value Book—an $80 value for only $19.99!

(Click here to find out more about Star Rewards, and sign up at any Rogers Plus store.)

Found this tip on RedFlagDeals and wanted to post for west coast readers:

The Disney Store at BC’s Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre is closing and potentially relocating somewhere else in the Greater Vancouver area. The store is offering 60% off the lowest ticketed price on everything in the store.

If you are in the area and love Disney, knows someone who loves Disney or, if you have gift cards or store credit burning in your pocket, plan to act sooner than later. Officially, the store is closing on January 23rd with a chance that it may close earlier if merchandise sells quickly enough. The exact store location can be found via the Metropolist at Metrotown Store Directory. You might also be able to find out more by contacting the store directly at 604-668-8125.

Hoodies and graphic tees – this combination takes me back to my university days. How I loved pairing up a well-fitting tee and a casual, I’m-too-cool-for-school hoodie layered on top. I think all offices should have a “Hoodie & Graphic Tee” day!

American Eagle has a pretty snazzy promotion at the moment – when you purchase one hoodie or graphic tee, you can grab another for 50% off! The possibilities are endless, as you can mix and match any way you want (the 50% discount is applied to the lowest priced qualifying item). This offer includes all regular priced and clearance items, so there are deals to be had!

The Gap new arrivals have… arrived!

If you simply must deck yourself out in the latest threads, do so armed with this 25% off coupon. Valid January 21st thru 24th, you’ll save 25% off all regular priced items.

I’m a bit miffed that these coupons are never valid on Stella McCartney and Junk Food tees. Throw me a bone! Ah well.

Reminder: TONIGHT!!!

Kelsey’s is celebrating 30 years of wings – and tonight, you can see what all the fuss is about!

On Thursday, January 21st after 4 PM, visit any Kelsey’s location and get a FREE order of wings! There’s no purchase required, but there is a limit of one pound of wings (8 wings) per person.

Our famous wings are lightly dusted and fried to perfection. Served with carrot and celery sticks and a flavourful dipping sauce to complement your wing flavour.

Choices:
Guinness Barbecue
Lemon Citrus Pepper
Honey Garlic
Black Pepper Garlic
Sea Salt and Toasted Pepper
Mild, Medium or Hot
Hot Stripe Ranch
Indian Butter Spice

Did you happen to catch PTPA on the Rachael Ray Show yesterday? It was fab!

I made two *brief* cameo appearances – the first was a wide-angle shot of me sitting down around a conference table (“wide-angle” actually refers to my pregnant state – urgh! The shot was so brief you can’t tell I’m pregnant – I just look huge!)

And next, a very recognizable close-up of my hand applying the PTPA Seal of Approval on a water bottle. You knew it was me, didn’t you?

Regardless, the segment was BEYOND FABULOUS and included some great footage with Sharon and Rachael in front of the studio audience. At the moment, I don’t have access to the first part (including my ground breaking performance), but I do have a clip from the live segment (which I think is the best part). Click here to watch.

After the show aired, we went absolutely BONKERS with the addition of new parent evaluators, hot new product submissions, and tons of well wishes. Holy Hannah!

I did happen to notice a nifty little piece picked up by The Huffington Post, in which I get a mention! Check it out:

Read the full article here. Coolio! All in all, a wonderful start to the new year!

I thought Sephora’s 2009 birthday gift was pretty cool – a trio of Sephora brand lip glosses. This year, I’m loving their little “Beautiful Eyes Kit” – hurry up born day!

Available after January 28th, the kit includes a (Sephora brand) Long Wearing Eyeliner, Shimmery Shadow, and Volumizing Mascara. Sweet.

This kit is FREE for all Beauty Insiders, valid two weeks before or after your birthday.

For more details, click to enlarge picture.

Not a member? No sweat! Membership is also free – you simply have to drop by your nearest store and spend about 2 minutes with an associate while your account is registered. Even if you never shop at Sephora, you can still collect your gift once you’re an Insider, so don’t miss out!

Not interested? Think about your makeup junkie friends – and grab a kit on their behalf :)

It was inevitable, wasn’t it? First Twitter, now the Facebook Fan Page. I am a Social Media Mom who sucks at updating her own social media.

On the plus side, since you’re reading this now – it means that you’ve taken the time to land on my blog. And that’s the most important thing, right? After all, it means nothing to be a “fan” if you aren’t fanatical about the object in question. So I’ve realized that my true fans are the ones who take the time to “listen” to me everyday. Thank you, ya’ll rock!

Therefore, from now on, I’ll just use my personal Facebook account to forward information from time to time about contests and great deals. (Disclaimer: my own profile sees marginally more action than the fan page.) Nevertheless, here’s an open invitation for you to add me on Facebook if you’d like to keep up with my updates. Please search under “Charlene Almeida” – the picture on the top left is my current profile photo (there are a few of us!)

(When adding me, please enter “Listen to Lena” in your message so I can distinguish you from creepy men age 25-34 who try to add me on a regular basis.)

And since you’re probably wondering – “Lena” is my nickname. Since I was a wee one, my mom has called me Charlena, and my bestie picked up on this in high school. Of course, since we’re all about efficiency, Charlena became just Lena (or Char to those who can’t be bothered with the extra syllable). However, I’ll respond to just about anything, including “Hey You.”

I normally check Facebook to look at nice pictures about once a day, so my aim is to also post blog-worthy news when the need arises. I’m also very much looking forward to meeting some of my readers! Until then, let’s be friends!

While I’m not a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, I do love these soft, chewy and moist cookies which just happen to have chocolate chips.

The secret to baking these treats without having them go all hard and crisp? Instant pudding. Strange, but true – and delicious.

I leave out the walnuts, but I’ve heard they make a wonderful, crunchy addition. Of course, sometimes you feel like a nut – sometimes you don’t. (Does anyone else recognize that famous jingle from the 70′s? Please say yes.)

INGREDIENTS

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package Jell-o Instant Pudding – Vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. Makes 30-36 cookies.