Our First Awesome Giveaway!

Giveaway now closed and winner announced. Thank you to everyone that participated! 

It's January. It's cold. It's a long time until payday - you were hugely generous to everyone over Christmas, don't you deserve the chance to win something lovely just for you?

Enter our giveaway and one lucky person will get some awesome FREE stuff (who doesn't love FREE?) and we will hopefully gain a some lovely new readers. We do love our readers!

So first - the good stuff. What will you win?

Awesome Night In Kit!
This was originally going to be a "date night" kit, but we advocate the "not needing a date to have a good time" way of life. So grab a date, grab a mate, or just grab your own hot ass (hmm...) and have a lovely night in with these great goodies!

Popcorn Holder and authentic American Microwave Popcorn.
How cute is this plastic popcorn holder? And trust us when we say "Movie Theatre Butter" is the best flavour- ever.

Tangfastics
"Kids and grown ups love it so...."

When Harry met Sally DVD
Ah the immortal question - can a man and a woman ever be friends? Watch the comedy greats and think about it for yourself. Always a great discussion to have with the girls or to suss out a potential new partners opinions on the subject.

Soap and Glory Candle
Who doesn't love Soap n Glorys gorgeous branding and beautiful scents? Fill the room with the smell as you relax and watch the movie.

Cupcakes provided by Cakings
We've teamed up with the Cake Engineers at Cakings to provide you with not one but two personalised cupcakes to our lucky winner! Sponge with buttercream (and an optional filling of jam) and choice of the following personalised topper:

• Your initials
• Hearts and / or stars
• Glitter and / or sprinkles
• All of the above!

*Cupcakes will be sent via Royal Mail First Class post, and although we cannot guarantee the cupcakes will arrive in absolute perfect condition, they will be packaged professionally in recommended cupcake packaging. 

Whew! What a load of lovely goodies. Perfect night in we think. Everything offered in this giveaway has all been purchased by our hard earned income and we can't wait to send it out!


So now - how do you win? 

For 1 entry

1. You must be following us with "Google Friend Connect" that's the little blue "Follow" button on the right hand side of our blog.
2. You must be following us on Twitter - @Grabaspoon 

Leave us a comment on this post with your GFC name and twitter handle so we can check. No comment, no entry.

For an additional 2 entries

Linking to our giveaway by writing your own blog post about it, or popping our button and link in your own blog sidebar and you will gain you another 2 additional entries!

Please make sure you include a link to your site in your comment.

Each of the following will gain you 1 extra entry:

1. "Like" us on Facebook
2. Follow us on Pinterest
3. In your comment tell us what your favourite post has been so far. What else would you like to see us write about?
4. Tweet about our giveaway using this button or copying and pasting the following
   
   
   I've entered @Grabaspoon's 'Night in' #giveaway  http://owlandpandabear.blogspot.com/2013/01/giveaway.html Visit their blog for your chance to win an awesome #NightInKit!

Tweet to @GrabaSpoon

Again in your comment please let us know if you have tweeted, followed and liked us. Depending on entries we may not be able to check all of these so we are relying on the honour system. Remember cheaters never prosper and that is just not playing by the friendly blogging rules if you do. 

So there you have it - a potential 7 entries to our giveaway! As we have cupcakes that need to be sent first class this is a UK only giveaway. Sorry overseas readers - but if this giveaway is successful we will look at doing more giveaways; bigger and better ones that will fly further!

The winner will be selected at random and this giveaway will run until Midnight (GMT) on Feb 1st 2013 so what are you waiting for? Go and enter! (Pretty please?)

The sweet rewards of resisting temptation

Owl found herself in a very interesting situation this weekend.

I recently stared dating "ELB" - a lovely young man who I am quite excited about if truth be told! However whilst working an event, I was presented with a very attractive American who also seemed to have taken quite an interest in me.

I put this interest purely down to a "boys on tour" attitude and wanting to have a bit of fun overseas. Nothing wrong with that - we've all been there! And I'd be lying to you if I were to say I was not tempted as he was yummy! Arms like a Greek God (tattooed none the less), sparkly eyes and a confidence that oozed out of him like an intoxicating drug that left you slightly giddy.

This was a week long event, and the tension built little by little until the final night where there were direct propositions being made to our innocent little Owl (*cough cough*) And honestly I was tempted. I kept playing over in my head how it would go, how exciting it would be, but there were a couple of voices telling me firmly "no".

The first (most obviously) is as it was a work event, this is not the height of professionalism. But the second - and biggest was the thoughts of ELB. He kept swimming into the front of my mind, and I knew there was no way I could or would jeopardise what I think we might possibly be working towards.

Please don't think that this was a decision on whether to cheat or not. At this point me and ELB had had no such conversations about whether we were exclusive or not - in fact almost the opposite as he works through some things. But to have a night like that before a weekend of romance that had been in the planning for 2 weeks? To literally go from one bed to the next. *shudders* I just couldn't, it's not me, it's not who I am.

And you know what really got me? A text he sent me that night that went something like this:

"I'm going to bed early, the sooner I get to sleep the sooner it's tomorrow - just like Christmas!"

I mean c'mon, who's heart wouldn't melt a little at that? I know mine did! And it was re-reading that text, re-playing the smile it brought to my face over and over again that made me know my door was staying firmly locked and I was going nowhere near the American.

Although the next morning it was hard to get him out of my head. The temptation had burrowed itself into a corner of my mind that threatened to drive me a little crazy - until I saw ELB walking up my road and he gave me one of those greetings you only really see in the movies. A smile and a kiss that made my heart race and pushed all other thoughts out of my head.

And now, at the end of a delightful weekend, I think about how I would have felt at the end of a night of passion with the American, and how I feel now – I know I made the right choice. Proof, that although sometimes it feels so good to give into temptation, sometimes it is worth so much more to resist it and hold out for greater gratification.

Especially when its an almost straight up choice between the quintessential “badboysexgod” with the eyes, the accent, the flirtation and the Good Guy. The one that will rub your feet and cook for you, pour you wine whilst telling you you’re beautiful and make you feel so many more things than one night of passion ever would. 

The importance of "playing it cool"

After any encounter, whether its being chatted up, a first date or a fling it is vital to play it cool.

Now I am in no way advocating any of these crappy dating rules of “wait 3 days” “don’t text first” yadda yadda.

However…

There is such a thing as keeping an air of mystery about you. And again, maybe this directly counteracts my much preached advice of “communicate and talk” but it comes down to striking a fine balance. Don’t show all your cards at once – leave some things to be discovered – and let him want to discover them.

Take this recent experience of a friend of a friend. After an enjoyable night and the standard swapping numbers she was also given a business card with all the standard webby details. Granted nothing that a simple Google search probably wouldn’t have thrown up but at the same time – there was these details. Gleaming in front of her – just BEGGING to be used. She allowed herself a quick peruse *cough cough* of the website, but held off until after the weekend to add him on Twitter.

Bare in mind this was after a brief text a few days prior – prompted by the lovely man in question.

But now – we are firmly into the playing it cool zone. There are no rules for this – no set timelines, no formulas. “call immediately and he will never want to see you” “leave it 3 days and 16hours and you will be married within the year” – no, this will not happen. However leave enough time that he may have started to wonder “hmm what is she up to?”

Basically what we are aiming to avoid is the clichéd impression of the clingy needy girl. From what I’ve heard most men prefer women with a sense of self and a streak of independence. And then the old “hunter” gene kicks in. He WANTS to pursue – the thrill of the chase! Just make sure you don’t play it so cool he thinks you’re not interested at all.