The Preston Valley Carter BloodCare location (12835 Preston Road near LBJ) is holding a special blood drive on September 6 from 5AM to 5PM.

“Show your true colors by giving life to someone in your community. Preston Valley 12HOURGIVE will include T-shirts, food from Jason’s Deli, all-American goody bags and few prize drawings!”

Schedule an appointment.

In November 2009, I posted about a $10 gift card giveaway good at a General Growth Properties (GGP) mall.

I went to the Collin Creek Mall in Richardson to collect my $10 gift card and have since collected a couple of them. I am saving them to combine with Macy’s gift cards from MyPoints.com to buy a kitchen item – hopefully soon!

After signing up for Collin Creek Mall, I decided to sign up for every GGP Mall in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs.

This week, I received an email redeemable for a $10 gift card at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco. The other GGP malls are offering gift cards with a certain minimum purchase, so it is worth signing up for each club if you are close enough that it’s worth the effort. Some malls will also send out birthday offers, including the $10 gift card.

Find a GGP Mall near you and sign up for “The Club” to receive these special offers in the future.

My sister recently told me about Pottery Barn’s free activities in select stores. Her store was giving away a free gallon of Benjamin Moore paint to each person who attended one of their free design classes earlier this month.

The Web site did not mention the store would be giving away free paint, but it was mentioned in the email she received. If you live near a Pottery Barn, sign up for their email list so you get the inside scoop about future in-store events.

This weekend, the Pottery Barn is hosting a free, in-store event entitled “The Art of Organizing”. Check to see if a store near you is offering it.

Last weekend, I learned that Pottery Barn Kids offers a free story time called “Book Club” on Tuesday mornings.

Each participant receives a “Book Club Passport” when they first attend. After attending five story times, the participant redeems the stamped passport for a “special gift”. I don’t know if the gift will vary by store, but my friend told me her special gift was a $10 gift card to Pottery Barn Kids!

They are offering special story times this month that will feature Curious George and Batman. Both will have readings, giveaways and activities.

Learn more about the Pottery Barn Kids programs, and be sure to RSVP if you plan to go!

Head over to the DFW Ringling Bros. Facebook page where they’re holding a random drawing for a Ringling Bros. Nintendo DS game.

Anyone who posts a circus-themed photo on the DFW Ringing Bros. Facebook Wall by 7PM tonight is eligible for the drawing.

They will be holding giveaways on their Facebook page all week (including free tickets) so check back regularly.

Also, there’s a free circus party on Tuesday, July 27 at 7PM. Join Zingmaster Alex Ramon, clowns, dancers & elephants at the AT&T Plaza (south side of AAC).

I was happy to see lower prices on two items I buy regularly. I am not sure if they are sale prices or new, lowered prices though.

Central Market
Organic Fuji Apples – $1.49/lb (were $2.49/lb last time I bought them there) – 4-5 of these large apples makes approximately one quart of applesauce, so I go through a lot of the apples!

Whole Foods
18 Medium Grade A Cage-free Eggs (365 brand, vegetarian-fed, no antibiotics) – 2 for $4.00 (were $2.99 each)

Check out some upcoming events at Whole Foods (these are at the Park Lane store in Dallas. Check the Web site for events in your area):

Saturday, July 31st

Summer Saturdays – Peachy Keen
1:00-4:00pm – Free
“Today we celebrate the Perfect Peach! Sweet, juicy and perfect for sooooo many dishes.”

Gluten Free Expo – Back To School
9:00am-1:00pm – Free
“Join Whole Foods Market and the Lone Star Celiac GIG for Part 2 of our Gluten Free Expo Series at Park Lane. Sheri Thompson, Celiac 101 teacher will kick-off the morning with a gluten intolerance Q and A and our guest chef, David Shaw, will follow with a back-to-school cooking demonstration on gluten-free meals. Our expo ends with a guided tour of our Gluten Free products on our grocery aisles.”

Saturday, September 18th

Whole Foods Market Turns 30!
2:00-5:00pm – Free
“Mark your calendars! It’s Whole Foods Market’s 30th Birthday and we’re going to have a party! We’ll have lots of events in the store to say “Thanks” to our guests for 30 years. We’ll have a blast! Stay tuned for more details on the b-i-g day.”

I checked out other Whole Foods store pages for stores in my area, and noticed the Richardson store is having a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday at 4PM. Here are the details:

“Please join us during the Ribbon Cutting ceremony by the Richardson Chamber of Commerce. There will be food and drink a plenty to commemorate this special occasion. Door Prizes and giveaways! Don’t miss the fun!”

They are also offering a free “value tour” on August 16:

“Sign up for a value tour of the store and learn how to shop Whole Foods Market on a budget. We will point out our favorite values, quick and healthy recipes and you get to sample all around the store! RSVP at carla.chavez@wholefoods.com.”

Looks interesting! Check out what’s going on at a Whole Foods store near you.

Are you a fan of the TV show, Friday Night Lights? If so, here’s your chance to be an “extra” during filming this weekend AND help the Dallas Chapter of the Red Cross.

For each person who participates on behalf of the Red Cross, the Dallas chapter will receive a $20 donation. It’s a 6-10 hour commitment on Friday and/or Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park, and they will provide food and drinks and will hold prize drawings.

All you have to do is review the information at the links below, and print out the necessary documents and take them with you. Plan to show up between 4:00PM and 5:00PM on Friday and Saturday and try to wear burnt orange and or red, the shoot will end at about 12:00 AM!

Group Extras Information Sheet

Appearance Release Form – American Red Cross – Dallas Area Chapter

Note: This was originally open to the public, but now you must go through a participating non-profit.

I saw a banner ad this weekend for the Target Arts & Wonder free events that are taking place in several cities across the U.S. from July 16-18.

I was excited to see that the Dallas Children’s Theater is one of the participating arts organizations! They are running Giggle Giggle Quack right now, so I plan to call to see if any of the free tickets remain for this weekend. Update: I called on Monday and was able to get tickets to the Saturday show!

Check out all the free and inexpensive events by city.

My daughter doesn’t ask for specific toys too often, but one toy that she has mentioned just about every week since January is the Zhu Zhu pet.

I was able to get some of the 2009 Zhu Zhu Pets at Kroger on clearance for $4 each a few months ago and since then she’s been asking for all the accessories. Last week, while at Walgreens, I found a Zhu Zhu Pet accessory for 50% off, which is great timing since my daughter’s birthday is later this month!

The Zhu Zhu Pet company is launching a new group of pets including Kung Zhu pets, so I expect to see more of the 2009 pets and accessories on clearance in the coming months to make room for all the new items.

I attended a Twitter party on Thursday where several participants mentioned that the Zhu-niverse Tour had stopped in their cities. They said they had a lot of fun, so I checked to see if they would be coming to Dallas/Fort Worth. They are! They will be stopping in Grapevine, Texas for GrapeFest September 17-19. For other U.S. tour stops, check out the Zhu-niverse Tour site.