Okay, I admit it... things aren't as clear as they used to be.  That, or the print is shrinking and getting fuzzy during the printing process.  Yes, I need reading glasses.  But who says they can't be completely darling!

I had the opportunity to review ReadingGlassesShopper.com and had a great time picking out a pair of reading glasses.  The selection is HUGE and I had a fun time browsing through all the great styles!

They have reading glasses and folding reading glasses.  They even have Bifocal reading glasses!  Who knew there were so many types of reading glasses. They carry both women's and men's styles.

So after much browsing and having a hard time deciding, I picked these puppies!  Go ahead, admit it... they are really cute, aren't they!




I placed my order and the shipping was really fast!  Here's a close-up of the side detail of my readers:




So now, not only can I see much better when doing close work, or reading... but I look great while doing it! I love these glasses!  I look for an excuse to wear them cuz they are so cute!

ReadingGlassesShopper.com has generously offered one of you lucky readers a $25 gift certificate or a pair of glasses, your choice!  Now you can look styling too!

Mandatory entry:
Please visit www.ReadingGlassesShopper.com and tell me which pair you like!  Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile (jane doe at gmail dot com)


Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

"Like" ReadingGlassesShopper.com on Facebook
Follow Reading Glasses Shopper on Twitter
Check out their blog and tell me something you learned there.
Become a public follower of my blog
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" me Facebook

Contest ends Friday, April 8, 2011.  One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries.  Winner will be notified by email and has 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, ages 18 and over. Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.
Disclosure:  The product was offered to me for the purpose of a review, and the sponsor has generously offered a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge! Ü

To say I have a sweet tooth, is an understatement!  I love all things sweet!  One of my "go-to" brands is Little Debbie... yeah, you know what I'm talking about!  So, when I was offered the opportunity to do a review of the new Little Debbie Cloud Cakes,  well.... here's the visual.... me running around the house skipping and jumping and yahooing!  My kids thought I had lost it, till I told them what I was yahooing about, then they joined me in my skipping, jumping and yahooing!


Can I say, everything was delicious but my new favorites are Cloud Cakes!  They are golden sponge cake filled with vanilla cream filling!  Yum!  Now, I'm not naming any names, but the "other" sponge cake on the market I am not a fan of, no, not at all.  Little Debbie Cloud Cakes blows them out of the water.  They are moist and delicious and it's hard to eat just one.  Good thing there are 10 in a carton!


Little Debbie, you've done it again!  You have another hit on your hands!  Now, someone pass me a Cloud Cake!

Okay, get ready to do some yahooing of your own!  Little Debbie is generously offering one of you lucky readers your own case (yes, I said case) of Little Debbie Cloud Cakes!  That's 12 cartons of instant happiness!  Go ahead... I'll wait while you yahoo!


Mandatory entry:
Tell me your favorite Little Debbie snack. How easy is that?!  Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile (jane doe at gmail dot com)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

"Like" Little Debbie on Facebook
Become a public follower of my blog
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" me Facebook

Contest ends Monday, April 4, 2011.  One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries.  Winner will be notified by email and has 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to residents of the US, ages 18 and over. Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.

Disclosure:  The product was offered to me for the purpose of a review, and the sponsor has generously offered a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge! Ü

Contest is over and winner has been notified!  Thanks to all you amazing readers!

Once again, my daughter is trying to snitch my cool things... this time it's my ChicoBag!  Really... who could blame her!  These bags are wonderful!


ChicoBags are reuseable bags in a variety of shapes, styles, and colors.  There seems to be a bag for every occasion!  Here's the really cool part, these bags come with their own little built in pouch that you can store them in.  I throw the pouch in my purse when I'm heading out to the store.  Then, when I need it, I pop it out of the pouch and have a great bag to put my groceries (or whatever I'm buying) in!

I'm excited to use this for summer trips when I have wet swimming suits to put in it!  It is made of durable, washable fabric.

How did ChicoBags get started?  Here's the story from the website:

In early 2004, Andy Keller, now ChicoBag™ president, took a trip to his local landfill after spending the day landscaping his backyard. He was horrified by what he saw. Single-use bags were visually the dominant article at the landfill that day, blanketing the landscape in a thin mix of white and beige plastic. On his way home he began to notice plastic bags everywhere, caught in trees and on fence posts, half drowned in gutter puddles and blowing in the streets like urban tumbleweeds. That day Andy vowed to stop using single-use bags. Inspired, Andy dropped a few bucks on a second hand sewing machine and began sewing what would ultimately become the first ChicoBag™ brand reusable bag.

There are so many ChicoBags to choose from, slings, messenger bags, day packs, totes, produce bags.  All offered in lots of colors and styles!  I love all the options!  Here's the one I chose:
Mandatory entry:
Visit ChicoBags and tell me your favorite bag!  How easy is that!  Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile (jane doe at gmail dot com)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

"Like ChicoBags on Facebook
Become a public follower of my blog
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" me Facebook

Contest ends Monday, March 28, 2011.  One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries.  Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to residents of the US, ages 18 and over.

Disclosure:  The product was offered to me for the purpose of a review, and the sponsor has generously offered a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge! Ü

Contest is over and winner has been notified!  Thanks to all you amazing readers!

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!  I get to try out some very cool products.  Then I get to tell you about them!  See, I am the luckiest girl!

Let me tell you about the PackIt... this thing is so cool... literally!  What is PackIt, you ask?  Simply put, it is a lunch bag that keeps your food cold for up to 10 hours!  Yup, I said 10 hours!

You put your PackIt in the freezer until you need it.  It folds up neatly to fit well in your freezer.  Mine fits right in my freezer door.  When I need it, I pull it out, put my lunch in it, and then head out the door.  My food stays colder in this than anything else I've used.  Plus I'm not hauling home a melted ice pack. 

This is the size of it folded up:




I wish my pictures did more justice to these cute things!  They are darling and they hold ALOT of food!  I packed a lunch for my son and I in one.  Not only did all the food fit for both of us, but, if I say so myself, ours was the cutest lunch bag there!  I received several compliments on how cute it was, and everyone was amazed when I showed them that there were no ice packs.  And yes, the food was still fresh and cold, in fact, just as cold as when they went in, (and this was five hours later!)

Way to go, PackIt!  This is an amazing product!  It even has my daughter's stamp of approval.  This is the lunch bag she always grabs!  I think she's trying to claim it for her own.

Where can you find these great things?  Why, here of course!  That's www.packit.com.  Plus, this morning when I was checking out the website, they are running a "buy one, get one free".  I don't know how long that will last, just thought I'd pass it on.

They come in several different colors, but I think mine is the cutest!  Now, here is the really cool part, PackIt has generously offered one of you amazing readers a PackIt of your very own!  Woo hoo!

Mandatory entry:
Tell me something you'd like to pack in your PackIt!  How easy is that!  Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile (jane doe at gmail dot com)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

Like PackIt on Facebook 
(Extra entry if you let them know I sent you)
Become a public follower of my blog
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" me Facebook

Contest ends Friday, March 18, 2011.  One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries.  Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to residents of the US, ages 18 and over.  Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.

Disclosure:  The product was offered to me for the purpose of a review, and the sponsor has generously offered a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge! Ü

Contest is now closed and winner has been chosen.  Thanks to all you amazing readers!  Stay tuned!

Thank you to P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? program and Kroger for sponsoring my writing about trying new things and breaking out of my everyday routine. Click here to find great savings on high-performing P&G products at a Kroger store near you. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

So, on with the story!

"You want me to do what?  Yeah, right,"  That was my response when my wonderful friend Crystal asked me to audition for our local community theater's production of Music Man.  I didn't even know our community had a theater, let alone put on productions until Crystal asked me to come watch her daughter in their first production of Annie.  The production I saw was amazing!  The sets were amazing, the costumes were amazing, the actors were amazing!  And now Crystal wanted me to audition for the next show?  Had she slipped the bounds of sanity?

Let me give you some insight.  I love to play the piano, but get incredibly nervous when asked to perform for people (hands profusely sweating does not make for a good piano performance, just saying).  Add to that fact, that I may be a teensy bit overweight, okay... okay... more than a teensy bit.  So getting up on stage for all to judge my imperfections was not on my top ten list of things to do!

To this day I don't know how she convinced me but somehow I found myself at auditions.  I had to sing a song in front of strangers, I had to learn a dance and then perform it... in front of strangers.  I had to do a short reading from the script... in front of strangers.  I remember the director staring at me stony faced as I stumbled my way through the reading.  She gave one bark of laughter, then quickly dropped back into that scary stare.

I stumbled out of the audition room sure I had just made a complete fool of myself.  Though embarrassed, I was also proud of myself that I faced my fears, stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new!

How did it end, you ask?  I got a lead role!  Can you believe it?  Overweight, insecure me, got a lead role!  I loved the experience of being on stage, and yes, the applause is such an overwhelming feeling of joy!

That was seven years ago.  Since then I've acted in many more plays.  I even got to be the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and the Lion from the Wizard of Oz.  But it hasn't stopped there.  I've costumed entire shows, built sets, made props, music directed, produced and even directed several of our productions.  One of the  children's productions I directed had over 135 kids in the cast!

That one simple act of stepping out of my shell, and up onto that stage was life-changing.  I've discovered talents and abilities I never knew I had... and never would have known if I hadn't taken that step.  Most importantly, I've discovered self-confidence.  I discovered me!  Now my goal is to help others  take that first step... you never know where it will lead!

Places, everyone.... and, action!

Many of you know that I'm an avid reader.  If I had my choice my nose would be in a book... usually a good mystery or suspense novel.  So when I was offered the chance to review Code of Justice, I jumped at the chance!  I'm so glad that I did!


 From the back of the book: 
Her sister's last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn't an accident. Sheriff's deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case—he's the one who can help Heather find the person responsible…once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She's willing to risk her life to find her sister's killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy's love.
  
Intrigued?  I definitely was!  Okay, here's the thing... while I really enjoy a good mystery or suspense book, I'm not a big fan of romance books.  Plus, I'm always a little leery because of the content of some of the books.  The language is a big harsh, and there are things I just don't want to read about.  Here's the great part about this book, there is none of that!  I got to enjoy a great mystery and a little romance without all the trash that seems to come from some of these books!

I loved the tension between Heather and Deputy Latham.  I love the dialogue in the book!  It rings very true!  I love the story and how it kept me entertained through the whole thing.  I also liked the length of the book, not too long, not too short... just right!  I loved that the action started in the prologue of the book!

I also enjoyed that the characters in the book had faith, but it didn't come across as preachy.  It was nice to read a mystery where it's okay to pray when you're in trouble.

I'm not going to say much more than that.  I don't like when someone reviews a book and tells you too much about it.  It kind of ruins the suspense, and you know I love suspense!
Thanks Liz Johnson for writing a great book!  Now, get busy and write more (please)!  Everyone else... go out and read this book! 


Disclosure:  I was given this book for the purpose of a review.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge!

Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque.... whew, what a mouthful!  But that's exactly what it is... a rejuvenating treatment masque.  So does it rejuvenate, you ask?  Oh yes, it does!

I had the opportunity to try this great product, and I really liked it!  It's easy to use, just apply it to your face and let it dry for about 15 minutes.  Then you can either peel it off or rinse it off with warm water.  I, of course, chose to peel it off.  (Yes, I was one of the kids in school who would put a layer of Elmer's Glue in my hand, let it dry, and then peel it off.  Don't tell me you didn't do it too!)  But I digress....

The masque feels very cool going on.  It stays cool as it drys, but I could also feel my skin tightening slightly as it dried (that's a good thing!)  I had a great time peeling it off, and my skin felt and looked wonderful afterward.  My skin looked smoother instantly!

I've used this masque several times now and with continued use I see a nice improvement to my skin.  The fine lines aren't as noticeable, and my skin feels firmer... it doesn't look so old!

If you don't believe me, here's more proof... Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque was voted as one of Instyles Best Beauty Buys Winner!  You can purchase Exuviance products here or I've also found it at Ulta.

I use this masque once a week and I feel like it's a mini spa treatment for me.  I do feel rejuvenated and my skin looks great!  (and yes, I admit it, I really like to peel it off.  It reminds me of elementary school!)   Try it for yourself!

Disclosure:  I was generously given this product for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

I have always been plagued with incredibly dry skin!  I think I have five different bottles of lotion stashed all over the house.  I use a lot of lotion trying to combat my dry skin.  It's especially bad in the winter.  I know, I know, we don't have snow but the air here is incredibly dry and wreaks havoc on my skin.  So when Skin MD asked me if I'd like to try their lotion, I jumped at the chance!





I first tried it on my completely dry hands.  It went on smooth, not greasy.  It soaked in quickly and left my skin feeling absolutely wonderful!  Instantly smoother and much more hydrated!  I loved the feel of my hands!

Then I tried it on my legs (that's the ultimate test).  They are so dry they hurt! Well, all I can say is "Wow"!  My legs looked so much better and felt wonderful!  I like that I can put it on and it instantly soaks in!  I've been using this for about two weeks and my legs looks so, so much better!

So what is Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion?

From their website:  "Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion is a new type of skin care product that becomes part of the outer layer of skin to restore this natural function. It helps damaged skin by preventing moisture-robbing irritants from entering its deeper layers and helps reduce moisture loss."

"Unfortunately, conventional lotions have one basic goal - to simply make up for the moisture that our bodies are losing by adding an artificial source of moisture. Many common household products including soaps, are absorbed directly into the skin, causing dry cracked skin and other skin disorders. Also, when participating in other activities from gardening to painting, furniture restoration to fishing, or exposure to harsh weather, you are further drying and irritating your skin. Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion helps to break the dry skin cycle by restoring skin's natural moisture and protection."


SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion can be found at your local pharmacy, or grocery store. You can also purchase is online at http://www.skinmdnatural.com/.

I highly recommend this lotion!  I think I'm going to replace all my bottles of lotion with Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion!  I better buy a case of this stuff!

Now here's the cool part... you have the opportunity to win a bottle for yourself!  One of you lucky readers can win a bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion!


Just leave me a comment...  how easy is that?  Please include your email in the comment if it's not visible in your profile (jane smith at yahoo dot com)

Extra Entries:
Leave a separate comment for each extra entry:

Follow my blog publicly on GFC
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" me Facebook

Contest ends Monday, March 14, 2011.  One winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries.  Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to residents of the US, ages 18 and over.  Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.

Disclosure:  The product was offered to me for the purpose of a review, and the sponsor has generously offered a giveaway.  The opinions expressed are all my own and free of charge! Ü

Contest is now closed and winner has been drawn.  Thanks to all you amazing readers!

Anyone who knows me, knows that if there is free time (and sometimes when there's not) I have my nose in a book!  I love to read!  I'm especially fond of a good mystery!  I tend to read through books quickly and nothing is more disappointing than looking for something to read, and there's nothing  around.  Yes, you can run to the library, or to the bookstore but that involves time, and with the cost of gas, money. 

Enter... Booksfree.com !  They are a book lending service that you can do all online.  How cool is that?!   Think, Netflix for books.  It is super easy to do.  All you do is go online and set up your account.  You can pick which  plan you want to be on, depending on how many books you want to have at one time, and your budget.  You set up your reading list and then Booksfree.com sends out the books to you. 


You can keep them as long as you want and then return them in the postage paid envelope that comes with the book.   Shipping is free both ways  How completely simple is that?


They not only have books for me, but they also have a children's book plan, and an audio-book plan.  There are over 228,000 titles to choose from.  Mind boggling amount, isnt it?  I liked that the books are sorted into genres, or you can search.  They will also start developing a recommended reading list for you, based on the type of books you are reading.  Booksfree.com also has reviews on the books, which really helped me with some of my selections.

My turn around time for the books was about 7 - 10 days from the time I sent it back, to the time I got the next book.

I was thinking about how great booksfree.com would be for the elderly, or the folks that spent so long snowed in this last winter, or if you live far away from a library, or like my sweet sister-in-law Jaclyn, who is also an avid reader, who's library flooded and had to be closed for repairs (I still shudder at the thought!)

I love this service and yes, I've had my nose buried in books lately more than usual!  Thanks Booksfree.com

Disclosure:  I received this product for the purpose of a review.  The opinions are all my own and free of charge!

I love where I live!  I live in the middle of a citrus grove and oh, the smell at times is heavenly!  Especially right about now... the citrus is just starting to blossom and I can't even begin to describe the heavenly scent of the blossoms!  I love all things citrus! 

Well, Crabtree and Evelyn has done it again!  They have come out with an amazing product line called Citron.

I love this stuff!  I received the Body Bar, the Body Souffle and two lip butters!  Did I mention that I love this stuff!  The scent is a mixture of Citron (lemon), honey and coriander.  Every time I use the Body Bar, the scent relaxes me yet refreshes me at the same time.  It makes the shower a wonderful sensory experience!

The body souffle is delightful!  It is rich, creamy and feels delicious going on!  My skin feels immediately softer and more supple.  I love that it doesn't leave a film on my skin but sinks right in. It also contains alpha hydroxy acids that are combined with sugar and fruit extracts.  This helps smooth and refine skin   And the lip butter... well let's just say that my daughter and I about had a wrestling match about the lip butters.  Good thing there were two!  I love the soothing feeling as it goes on my lips and then keeps them soft.  It has replaced all my other lip glosses, lip balms, chapsticks, etc.!

These amazing products are available at Crabtree & Evelyn.    I've been a fan of Crabtree and Evelyn but this new Citron line is by far my favorite!  Did I mention I love this stuff?