Category Archives: Reviews

Ozeri Green Earth Pan Review

Ozeri – Green Earth Pan Review and Giveaway

I have discovered as I have been learning to cook that it is not preferable to cook everything in the same pan, despite the ease of dishes with this scenario. Recently we received a very belated housewarming gift (over 3 years later) of an entire set of pots and pans. This set included a small pan, and a large as well as 3 pots ranging in size from super small to spaghetti size, as well as included lids. This is the only official “set” we have and other pans and pots are a Hodge-podge mix of hand me downs.

Now, I have discovered as I have been learning to cook that it is not preferable to cook everything in the same pan, despite the ease of dishes with this scenario. The need has finally arisen that we need more pans as the cooking competence level increases in this house.

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Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Review

Hallmark Keepsake Ornament – Flying Ace – Review & Giveaway

I have mentioned this in the past, but my father was a commercial pilot when he found out I was going to be joining his world. When I was young and holidays would roll around my mother and I would get my father Snoopy and Flying Ace items. I remember a stitched picture of Snoopy and his trust doghouse/plane, and a saying about loving to fly hanging in our hallway growing up. Even my father would call himself “The Flying Ace” (and sometimes the Red Baron) and proudly display his collection.

As I got older the realities of a pilot job became clear to my father and he decided that to be the father he wanted to be (present and always there for me) he had to retire from the somewhat random life of a commercial pilot. As I grew from infant to toddler he would take me up in the plane to calm me down, and he did not know it at the time, but setting me up for a life of loving planes.

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FramedArt.com Review

FramedArt.com Review and Giveaway

When you are young the decorations in your living space are generally nothing more than posters of the idols and hair bands of our youth (at least these were my decorations). As you age your decorations age with you and the posters of teen idols get put on high shelves and are replaced with new-found loves, passions, causes and interests.

I discovered as I aged I found a peace in sunflowers. There is something about sunflowers that evoke an image of sun, happiness and hope reminding us that the sun always rises. I have always been a fan of bright and happy flowers.

I have one sunflower painting in my house that my best friends mother painted for me about 13 years ago and I have wanted to add to the budding collection ever since. I recently was given the opportunity to order a print from FramedArt.com to aid in my ultimate goal of a sunflower gallery of themed artwork in my home.

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MACO Dissolvable Labels Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of MACO and Shoplet. This post may contain affiliate links, but this in no way will effect the opinion stated in the review.

MACO – Dissolvable Labels Review

When Jason and I began dating he had no idea that I was a nut for office supplies, but there were clues. I would disappear for hours in the aisles of Staples with my father, debating the color intensity of the new Sharpies vs other brands. Once I moved in with Jason the signs became clearer and his world started to become a bit more organized. The first thing I tackled in the organization department were his books – his favorite genre of book is fantasy so I wanted to make those easy to get to in his collection. I proceeded to organize whenever I could but our living environment was as sparse as small so there were few organizing opportunities.

That was almost six and half years ago and I am even more passionate about organization now. I am a big believer in making the most of the space we are given and utilize shelves and decorative boxes whenever possible. I often swap out the contents of the boxes depending on current needs for storage which leaves a little to much sticky residue from labels on the boxes. To my label loving, organizing spirit – I think I have come upon the perfect solution: MACO Dissolvable Laser/Ink Jet Labels. I was sent a variety of 3 packages of labels from Shoplet to review and evaluate and included the following labels: MACO Dissolvable Labels – a 1.5×2.5 oval set which is a 8 1/2×11 sheet with 5 sheets/18 labels per sheet and a total of 90 labels, MACO Dissolvable Labels -Oval – This is a 1.5 x 2.5 oval set with 4 labels per sheet/12 sheets and a total of 48 labels and MACO Laser/Ink Jet Dissolvable Labels – a 2″ diameter sticker on 8 1/2 x 11 sheet with 5 sheets/12 labels per sheet and a total of 60 labels.

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Treats Monthly Subscription Box – Japan

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Treats. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Treats Box Subscription Review and Giveaway – Japan Box

The one thing that having a review blog does is force the reviewer outside of their comfort zone, and experience something they may not have had they not completed the review. At least that is the case for me, each day my comfort limits are tested to some degree.

Something that I want to do in my lifetime that pushes those comfort zone limits is travel to Japan. I am asked frequently why Japan of all places, and the answer is really a simple one – to see and taste new things. There is something about Japanese culture that is much more adventurous than the United States. I am not in a position to travel the 5,600 miles away (but this could change next year – I will keep you posted), but I can still experience the food of Japan in the form of Treats Monthly Subscription Box.

The Treats Monthly Subscription Box is a monthly subscription service specializing in international snack boxes. Each month you will receive a different country and the items will range from candy, crackers, chips, cookies, chocolate and more! I received the Japan box for review and it was full of treats including:

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Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Magic Book Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of GoodBooks/Skyhorse Publishing. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Magic: 550 Amazing Everyday Recipes Review and Giveaway

Back many moons ago, during my bridal shower to my first husband I received 3 identical crock pots. We had registered for one, ended up with three. Flash forward one divorce and one marriage later I again have 3 crock pots, but this time they are not all the same make and model. Through the merging of items and a wedding, Jason and I have been able to collect three different size crock pots.

The three crock pots we have vary in size, which makes this a versatile house. The three we own are a Crock Pot 6 Quart slow cooker, a Procter Silex 3 quart and Procter Silex 1.5 quart slow cookers. Having these three crock pots/slow cookers gives us the ability to make just about anything. which lead me to discovering The Fix-It and Forget Slow Cooker Magic: 550 Amazing Everyday Recipes by Phyllis Good and published by GoodBooks and Skyhorse Publishing.

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Decal Girl Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of DecalGirl but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Decal Girl Review and Giveaway

I am a big fan of personalizing my electronics. I am not sure when I began this crazy trend of personalization and naming but it has gone on for quite sometime. Jason even fell victim to this naming, the first thing I did was name his truck (Smokey). This extends to our car’s (Stormy and White Lightening), our computers (Megatron and Maddie), as well as anything else that gets referred to in our home.

As much as I love to name things, I hate upgrading devices. I recently upgraded from a Samsung Galaxy 3S to a Samsung Galaxy 5S. This was a rough upgrade on me and I while I knew I was gaining more phone function and more capabilities, I also knew the work ahead of me. After the initial copy over of photos, music and texts (note all personalized type items), I began to think more about personalization.

I began thinking that this powerful little device needed more than just the typical name, it needed a new skin. I came across DecalGirl.com, this original vinyl skins company began in 2003 in the United States maing it the first to market skin company. DecalGirl offers free wallpaper (on supporting devices) and were the first company to offer different finishes on their skins which include traditional gloss finish and matte finish.

I received the “You Are Ridic” by Susan Claire skin from DecalGirl for review purposes. The DecalGirl decal was so simple to install and to place on my phone and once I placed the decal near the back of the phone it almost adhered itself to the phone on its own. There are pre-stamped areas for the speakers, and the buttons as well as holes punched out for the camera and flash in back. This was the EASIEST phone make over I have ever done. The included instructions made the process painless and bubble free.

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Pet Gift Box – Cat – Subscription Box – September Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Pet Gift Box. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own. Prices listed are subject to change without notice.

Pet Gift Box – Cat – Subscription Box – September Review

I usually do not associate cats and bad hair days, I mean for the most part their care regiment is short, simple and easy. I have noted this behavior and while it does involved a substantially wet tongue it does not require much else. Most days I am witness to this simple yet highly effective method of grooming, and I have to say that cats have it far easier than humans.

When humans undertake this ritual of everyday life, it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours depending on the complexity of style. There is where our feline companions also fare better – they do not have a style to keep up or maintain.

Given the considerable amount of money and time that is spent on this task it seems “hair raisingly” appropriate that this months Pet Gift Box theme is “Hair Club for Cats”. The treats included in this months box had a hair and grooming theme including the following:

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Kinnikinnick Soft Donut Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Kinnikinnick Foods. This post may contain affiliate links, but this in no way influences the review to follow.

Kinnikinnick Donuts: Soft Donut and Pumpkin Spice Review and Giveaway

I have high standards where donuts are concerned and I think I have good reason to feel this way. I happen to live in donut heaven – I literally live less than 2 blocks from one donut shop and less than 5 miles from another with to many to number in between. I know this does not sound like the reasoning I gave you, but these two donut shops happen to be the top two donut shops in North San Diego County.

My favorite donut of all time has to be a chocolate cream filled with a round puffed pastry. The chocolate plays off the cream and donut dough perfect. Jason is a little more of a traditionalist in that he likes the chocolate old-fashioned. The common thread is the chocolate on the donuts. During the holidays I love a good tasting pumpkin donut and if icing is included then I am a very happy donut consumer.

The production of pumpkin donuts does not generally begin until October and abruptly ends in late December. At least that is how it has been, until now – Kinnikinnick Foods is proud to announce that their previously seasonal and regionally limited Pumpkin Spice donuts are now a permanent part of their product line and available year round. Also new to the Kinnikinnick Foods family is Soft Donuts with Vanilla Icing in addition to their existing Chocolate Donuts and Cinnamon Sugar Donuts.

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BuddhiBox Monthly Subscription Review – September Box

BuddhiBox Monthly Subscription Review – September 2015 Box

I spend my day in a peaceful home. I typically wake up around 8:00am and make lunch for my husband, and see him off to a great day at work. I then go through the process of waking myself up – which usually includes an energy drink and cuddles with the cats. I then grab my computer and read and respond to emails and begin to write. During this time the only sound is my cats living life, outdoor noises (there is construction a couple of homes away) and the sound of thoughts swirling in my head.

I love this peacefulness and I look forward to it each day. This amount of peacefulness is not only conductive to writing but also for thinking and reflection. In the practice of Yoga, your silence and movement is reflective of your thoughts. With the amount of peace I have in a average day I am able to hone in on that peace, corral my thoughts.

Earlier in the year, I had the opportunity to review previous boxes (click here) and they are always enjoyable and grounded. The message is always one of compassion, and peacefulness and of course always yoga.

When the bright green tissue paper again greeted me I found myself eager again to tear the paper and delve into this months box. This month came with 3 cardboard information cards that are clear and in full color. The first card was the “Downward Facing Dog” that shows the pose in full color, as well as the benefits about the pose. There is a recipe for a “Penne all Norma” that is made using 11 ingredients, including the spice packet and is basically pasta with tomato sauce with eggplant. The final information card included was a box content listing and on the other side the following quote:

It’s the possibility of having a dream, come true that makes life interesting. – Paul Coelho

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