Category Archives: Reviews

Goodie Girl Cookies Review

Goodie Girl Cookies Review & Giveaway

My nickname when I was a child was “Cookie Monster”. I grew up in the age of the talking puppets and I reminded my parents of this iconic blue puppet. As a child I embraced this nickname and became a cookie connoisseur, or at least as much of one as a 5-year-old can become. If I am being honest, he actually became one of my favorite characters of all time. I am still a monster when it comes to cookies.

I am always looking for new and unique cookies to try and I hit the mother-load when I discovered Goodie Girl Cookies. These are one of the most delicious cookie brands I have ever come across.

I love that this New York based mom wanted to create a delicious cookie for the gluten-free people of the world. After sampling these cookies I would say that she accomplished her goal. Not only are Goodie Girl Cookies gluten-free but they are made of simple ingredients such as white rice, brown rice, tapioca and quinoa flours. To substitute for the lack of wheat, corn and potato are used in their place.

So, like any good Cookie Monster I dove right in to the “Goodie”ness in front of me, including:

Crunchy Midnight Brownie : The first thing I thought after my first bite was that this cookie reminded me of a high quality Mississippi mud pie made into a crunchy cookie. This would be awesome crumbled on top of a vanilla bean ice cream cone.

Goodie Girl Mint Slims: I am not going to lie, these immediately reminded me of their obvious inspiration counterparts. These were so good that it was extremely difficult to not eat these all in one sitting – especially for a cookie monster like myself.

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The Spice Lab Gourmet Sea Salt Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge from The Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

The Spice Lab Gourmet Sea Salt – The Chili Head Salt Collection – Review and Giveaway

When I was younger I was under the impression that there was only one type of salt, the traditional table salt that is found in almost every cupboard, restaurant and kitchen in the world. I, like many people, thought that there were limited variations on the salt widely available. I am still in the early stages of learning how to cook, and am beginning to branch out into the flavorful world of addition of flavors, enter The Spice Lab. I was given the opportunity to review their Chili Head Collection and thought this was a good way to play with a staple of cooking.

The Spice Lab is a woman owned business based in Pompano Beach, Florida and boasts over 180 different salts from over 30 countries and has the largest selection of sea salts available from a single source. The salts come in test tubes, in either 5, 6, or 11 sets, with a handcrafted wooden base that is American made from recycled shipping pallets, Colorado pine, sustainable bamboo bases among other discarded wood.

The items offered are plentiful, creative and include salt plates, wooden spoons, salt collections and even bath salts. The Spice Lab has received numerous awards including the Silver Sofi Award, The Gourmet Retailer’s Editors’ Choice Award, Scovie and Hot Pepper Awards, 2014 Suppliers Achievement Silver Award for Most Creative New Entry Designed for Business Gift Use, as well as becoming one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2013 (the Himalayan Salt Shot Glasses)

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My Paper Pumpkin June Kit Review

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

My Paper Pumpkin June Kit Review and Giveaway

When I was young I was taught it was proper to send thank you cards and acknowledgement of events and moments in other people’s lives. As I have gotten older some of the memorabilia I treasure the most is those old cards that I sent as a child and were returned to be as a an adult.

I had the chance to review My Paper Pumpkin’s kit box’s previous months box (click here). I was thrilled to be given the chance to review this months box as well. The theme for June was named “Happy Thoughts”.

The basic idea of this months kit is that you can create different cards for a Birthday or other happy times. I love the idea of a card in which your simply put together the elements and the result is a cute card.

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Geek Fuel Monthly Subscription – June Box Review

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

Geek Fuel Monthly Subscription – June 2015 Review

I graduated high school in 1994 and that puts my late teen/adolescent years spent in the early 1990’s. I am most definitely a child of the 90’s – I loved baby doll dresses, I enjoyed the rising popularity of boy bands and I loved the television and media of this bygone era.

The 1990’s were notable in the media with books being turned into movies, such as Jurassic Park and the rise of the side scrolling platformer games. The Teenage Mutant Turtles were popular as were the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The X-files was on television and the we saw the rise of child themed cartoons with a definite adult theme (think Beavis and Butthead).

I mention all these icons of this era because what is old is new again. Amazingly after almost 20-25 years these legends of the 90’s are returning with a 2015 twist. The special effects driven highly anticipated Jurassic World is now in theaters, the Teenage Mutant Turtles can also be found in theaters. There has been confirmation that X-Files with Moulder and Scully is returning promising to be filled on their past 20 years.

Geek Fuel’s Monthly Subscription Service launched in December 2014 and is a monthly gaming/geek themed subscription box service. The box is mailed monthly, around the 20th, in a red box labeled with the Geek Fuel logo. Each box contains a t-shirt that you can only get from having a monthly box subscription.

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Canyon Bakehouse Bagel and Brownie Review

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

Canyon Bakehouse Bagel and Brownie – Review and Giveaway

I have mentioned in the past my affinity towards bread and bread products. My love of bread extends to toasted breads, sugared and cream cheese covered breads and chocolate breads. I think the bottom line and common thread is that I love bread.

In March I had the opportunity to review Canyon Bakehouse’s breads (see review here) and loved them. I recently received an email that was announcing that Canyon Bakehouse was launching 3 new products: Plain Bagels, Everything Bagels and Brownie Bites. I was beyond excited that Canyon Bakehouse was releasing more products as I really enjoyed the items I reviewed in March.

Now Jason does not quite share my affinity towards bread. That is not to say that he is not a bread fan, just not a 1/2 loaf in one sitting kinda bread fan. Despite his not so passionate love of bread he even enjoyed these new gluten-free offering’s from Canyon Bakehouse which included Plain Bagels, Everything Bagels and Brownie Bites.

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Soul Reader Book Review and Giveaway

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

Soul Reader Book Review and Giveaway!

As always I like to be honest with you, my readers, so it is full disclosure time: I met the author in elementary school and we were classmates until we graduated high school, at that time I lost touch with her until the magic of Facebook. This in no way will affect the review to follow, but I wanted to be honest with you right off.

I know some people have a process in which they use in the selection of books, I am not one of these people. I use a method that is sometimes deceiving, sometimes misleading and sometimes a pleasant surprise – I choose by the title only. The reason for this overly simplistic method of choice roots back to my childhood when I would use the title to make book choices, a creature of habit I am.

Let me start by saying that while the title may not have gotten my attention and made me want to read the book, the beautiful cover image and imagery that it projects would have gotten my attention.

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Pet Gift Box – Cat – Subscription Box – June 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.

Pet Gift Box – Cat – Subscription Box – June Review

I remember the first time I heard of dinosaurs and seeing Jurassic Park the first time. I remember thinking that nothing that large, imposing or threatening could have ever walked this earth. I began to read and compare the movie to actual fact and came to my own conclusions. I get lost in the world that was created in which to transport people back billions of year ago. This beloved franchise was recently given a 2015 twist and is scarier, more exciting and more imposing then before.

Appropriately this months box theme is a take on the uber successful recently rebooted Jurassic Park series – instead welcome to “Purrassic Park” for Pet Gift boxes Jurassic June Box. This months theme could not have been more timely or more appropriate as many subscription boxes are using this as a theme and capitalizing on this beloved franchise. The thematic tone to this months box was right on point and included the following:

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Ozone Sock of the Month Review

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

Ozone Sock of the Month Review

Ever since I was a young girl I have LOVED socks. When I was young (and not having to purchase my own socks) I would think nothing of walking outside sans shoes, thus creating unfixable holes. The cooler looking the sock, the higher the chances that I would wear it without shoes.

Flash forward 25 years (give or take, plus or minus a few years) and now my love of socks is still present in my life but I am much more careful when I walk outside and make sure I have shoes no doubt partially due to the necessity of purchasing my own socks.

With my natural love of socks it seemed like a good “fit” to review Ozone Sock’s Sock of the Month Club. I have never been in a place where I receive socks in the mail, so this was a nice surprise amongst a pile of bills and junk mail.

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GoodOnYa Bars and Drinks Review and Giveaway

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

GoodOnYa Bars and Drinks Review and Giveaway!

Health conscious is not a quality many of my family and friends would use to describe me. I generally avoid anything natural, always choosing the over processed counter part. In high school my friends recall stories of me bringing an entire box of chips in the morning to school and by afternoon the chips were reduced to only crumbs. As a teenager and young adult I was gifted with a high metabolism which made gaining weight nearly an impossible task. Somewhere in my mid to late 20’s my metabolism changed and all of a sudden I found myself gaining weight. As I creep closer to my 40th birthday I am finding that, not only can I gain weight, but also keep the weight I currently have. This usually results in a no loss/no gain situation which has made me start watching what I eat since it seems to stay with me for a while.

I happened upon GoodOnYa bars while I was strolling through my local Whole Foods store. While I was looking at the packaging I not only saw that they were Non-GMO, USDA Certified, Gluten-Free but had a new great taste! The packaging of the bars came in bright colors (brown, orange and yellow with a blue background) that immediately draws your eye. I also noticed that the drinks were also labeled with coordinating colors to the drink inside, also drawing the eye to the product.

When I reached out the company they were generous enough to send me a box for review. The box I received was heavier and larger than I anticipated. Once I opened the package I saw what attributed to the added weight, it was each of their drink offerings and bars. They also included 2 stickers reminding me “you matter” which is a wonderful reminder in a world that often forgets that everyone does matter.

The company sent me 1 of each of their GoodOnYa hydrate drinks and each of their bars to try: Organic Lemons – contains 10% juice, 1 gram of sugar from organic juice and the herb stevia to sweeten, Organic Berries – contains 14% juice as well 5 grams of sweetening stevia, Organic Oranges and Pineapples – contains 12% juice and 5 grams of stevia for sweetening. Each bottle is lettered in colorful attention-getting colors that coordinate to the fluid inside the bottle such as the orange pineapple was orange, the lemons were a pale yellow and berries come in a deep cranberry color.

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UtechSmart Mars Gaming Mouse Review

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

UtechSmart Mars Gaming Mouse Review

Living with a gamer gives me a special amount of knowledge that I would not have otherwise. Jason plays one MMO and many role playing games, which does not sound like much but he puts his experience and knowledge into each character he creates. I have never seen anybody who cares more about character development as much as quality of game play. When game play is brought up the inevitable first question from friends is “what kind of mouse you using?”.

We recently had the opportunity to review UtechSmart’s Mars Gaming Mouse. This ergonomically designed gaming mouse was as comfortable as it was effective.

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