Happy St. Patrick's Day from 'A' and ABCFamily!

~Happy St. Patrick's Day from 'A'~

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Hopefully you escaped a day of pinches!  I was not so lucky myself!  I teach Pre-K and my students enjoyed 'legally' pinching me throughout most of the day (and I was even decked out in GREEN!) :)  When I came home from work I found an interesting box on the porch.  It was marked 'LIVE PLANTS'.  When I examined the shipping label and saw that it was from my friend 'A' and the great (and generous!) people at ABCFamily I was so excited!  If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I was one of the lucky participants in the Pretty Little Liars Secret Keeper Game hosted by ABCFamily during the summer of 2010.  I thought the game was over in June, but 'A' is someone that enjoys keeping you guessing!  Since the game conclusion in June, 'A' has lavished the Secret Keepers with incredible gifts on every holiday!  Today, I received a small pot of clover.  Inside the clover there was a 'clue' that lead me to a secret website that displayed an intriguing photo from the season finale (which is airing next week)!  If you'd like to take a peek yourself you can find it HERE.  Thanks 'A' and ABCFamily!  The Pretty Little Liars spring finale airs on Monday (March 21st) at 8/7c on ABCFamily.  Don't miss it!  I'm sure it will have you glued to to your seat!!!

Happy Valentine's Day from A!!

Sorry this post is a day late, but unfortunately my Valentine's Day consisted of my 6 year old coming down with the flu.  However, I did receive some awesome Valentine's goodies that I wanted to share with you guys!  If you follow my blog then you are aware that I was one of the extremely lucky bloggers asked to participate in the Pretty Little Liars promotional game hosted by ABCFamily this past summer.  As sadistic and scary as A is on the show (and in the books), she has showered the game players with gifts since Thanksgving!  I thought that her generosity had come to end after receiving the beautiful calla lilies on New Year's Eve, but no.... yesterday I found a FedEx package waiting at my door with A's name on it!  Inside was a velvet heart shaped box filled with delicious chocolates (I have almost eaten them all:).  As usual, there was a clue to find that would lead you to an exclusive video clip from Pretty Little Liars!  After much chocolate eating, I found the hidden website under the chocolate marked with the ?.  The video can be found HERE if you want to check it out- you won't be disappointed!  If you are not watching Pretty Little Liars on ABCFamily then you are missing one of the best shows on TV.  It airs Monday nights at 8:00pm(EST) on ABCFamily.  Thanks for the goodies A and ABCFamily!!

Another Awesome Gift from A! (Pretty Little Liars Secret Keepers)

Over the summer I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in the ABCFamily Pretty Little Liars "Secret Keepers Game".  It was a super fun role playing game where I got to play Aria from the show (and the incredible PLL book series by Sara Shepard).  The game ended in June, but 'A' resurfaced via email in October letting the players of the game know that she was sending us gifts that we could use for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years!  Right before Halloween I received a really cool box that contained a note from 'A' with a clue that lead us to a video with a sneak peek at the new season of Pretty Little Liars that airs in January.  There was also an orange PLL flashlight (used to figure out the clue) and a pumpkin container filled with orange M&Ms that had 'trick or treat' and 'A' written on them.  Well today I came home to a big box on the porch and the label on the outside said it was from "The Little Pie Company of the Big Apple".  When I opened it there was another note from 'A' (see pic) that said "Time to turn up the heat and see what secrets are revealed.  Happy Thanksgiving, Liars. -A"  I noticed that there was a strip of black on the front of the card and I decided to hold a lighter to it to see if any thing would happen.  Well once again a website was revealed that lead you to another sneak peek clip of the new season.  I was super excited when I opened the package and an enormous and MOST delicious looking apple pie with the letter 'A' written all over it appeared!!  Yeah!!  Thanks so much 'A' and ABCFamily!  I can't wait to dig into this!!!!  If you would like to see the exclusive clip, you can check it out HERE! The highly anticipated second season of Pretty Little Liars will premiere on January 3, 2011- so mark your calendars!

Last Chance to Enter and IMM!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  My 'One Year Blogoversary Giveaway' is ending soon and I wanted to make sure everyone gets a chance to enter.  There are great prizes up for grabs!  I will be closing the contest tomorrow night (midnight EST) ~ so if you haven't entered yet ENTER HERE! 

I also received a few goodies so I figured I would do a short 'In My Mailbox' post too!  I was one of the lucky bloggers chosen to participate in the Pretty Little Liars Secret Keeper Game this past summer sponsored by ABCFamily.  The game was a blast, but since it ended in June, I figured I had heard the last of A.... apparently not!  I received this cute container of M&Ms that say 'trick', 'treat', and 'A', along with a flashlight and note.  The note's clue led you to a sneak peak video clip from the new season of Pretty Little Liars (premieres Jan. 3rd)!  You can view the clip HERE. 

For Review:
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Bought (for $1 each!!):
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

Happy Halloween!  Now you know what I got!  What did you get?

Pretty Little Liars - Lucy Hale - Extreme Reader Book Reviews

As most of you know, I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in ABC Family's "Pretty Little Secret Keeper Game"! The game was based on the new TV show Pretty Little Liars (which is based on the book series by Sara Shepard). During the game I played the part of Aria and it was a TOTAL blast!! At the conclusion of the game, the players that did well were allowed to ask their character (Aria aka Lucy Hale) one question. Today I received a personalized video message from Lucy answering my question!! Check it out!
**Also make sure to watch Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family.  The show is fantastic and you will be hooked once you start watching!!  It airs on ABC Family on Tuesdays at 8/7c.

URGENT! Calling ALL Pretty Little Liars Fans..... I NEED Input ASAP!

I had lots of fun participating in the ABCFamily Pretty Little Liars Secret Keeper game!  The game is now over, but I get to ask the cast of the show a couple of questions that they will answer personally!  I would love some input on what you guys would like to know!  Please leave me some of your burning questions in the comments and I will pick two of them to submit to ABC Family.  I am supposed to have the two questions back to them today, so I will choose the questions tonight.  Thanks for your help!!

Last Chance to Enter and an Update!

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to let you know that my contest for a signed copy of The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos ends tomorrow!  Don't miss your chance to get your hands on this awesome book!  I am also excited to announce that I have a comment published about the book in the newest edition!  Brenda made this awesome button for the reviewers that are quoted to post on our blogs!  YEAH!!! This is the first time I've seen my name in print!  You can also see my little blurb about the book on the book's official website www.theemeraldtalisman.com - Head over and check out her new site updates and watch the book's trailer!

Once again, I am going to apologize for my disappearing act on my blog.  I really haven't had time for much of anything besides school paperwork and family obligations.  I am a Secret Keeper in the ABC Family Pretty Little Liars Secret Keepers Game though, so I've managed to squeeze in time to play the character of Aria Montgomery in the challenges.  It has been so much fun!  I love scavenger hunts, Clue and riddles and this game is all of those!  I have also enjoyed meeting some of the other bloggers who are playing.   I just wish my time wasn't so limited right now so I could interact more with everyone!  The good news is that school is out next Friday :) and then I am FREE!!!!  My blog will be back to regular posting and my reviews will finally start posting again.  The Secret Keeper Game isn't over until June 18th, so I will also be able to enjoy the last week of that more too!  I have completed 5 missions so far and one is waitin for me right now!  'A' can be pretty demanding and vicious!  She definitely knows how to keep all of us on our toes!  Don't forget that Pretty Little Liars debuts on ABC Family on June 8th!  Thanks for sticking by me and don't for get to enter the contest!  You can get to the entry form HERE!

I am a Pretty Little Liars Secret Keeper!

Last week I received an e-mail from ABC Family inviting me to participate in a 3 week online game that revolves around the upcoming tv series "Pretty Little Liars".  As all of you know, this series is based on the wildly popular YA books in the "Pretty Little Liars" series by Sara Shepard!  I will be honest with you, I was a little skeptical about accepting since I haven't read the series myself (hangs head in shame!), but the rep from ABC Family assured me that it wouldn't be a problem and that I could always ask you guys for help!  So PLEASE help me!!!  Anyway... the game consists of 10 groups that have 4 people in each group (each group member plays one of the four main characters).  Essentially I will be competing against only 3 others (I think!).  We will be given daily challenges/quests/scavenger hunts etc. that are solved using clues we are given through the new SmartPhone that was sent to each participant.  My phone (Motorola Droid) came loaded with pictures, contacts and more that belong to Aria, so until June 18th my alias is Aria!  Each player is responsible for protecting 10 secrets about themselves from the others.  "A" is calling the shots and will be trying her best to get us to reveal our secrets!  I am excited about the game and will post updates/questions etc. on the blog as needed.  I did take some pictures of my "game kit" that came today.  The packaging was very cool and very messy!  When I opened the box I realized that it was FULL of dirt!! There was a piece of plastic on top of the dirt that said "Some secrets you have to dig for" -A... So yes, I dug in the dirt and found my phone, charger and an extra little clue that I am not divulging at this time!  I included some pics for you below.  I did get my first challenge today and solved it all by myself!  "A" did make a point to tell me not to expect them to be so easy from now on!  So any of you out there that are PLL experts- LET ME KNOW because I will need your help! :)

*FTC Disclosure: The Smartphone has been provided free of charge to the participants for game play by ABC Family.  Participants will be allowed to keep the phones after the game is over.