Something Old, Something New...and a giveaway!

I thought I would share an old food that I love...Smoked Oysters and something new I tried this week. 

Now if you've never had Smoked Oysters, they come in a box that has this tin in it. And when you pull the tab off...

You have the smoked oysters inside. Now I know a lot of people that will not touch these things but I could eat these all the time. The rich smokey flavor that they have is addictive. I love seafood and I grew up along the beach and we ate things like this all the time. 

Now for the new food that I tried this week. Ken saw this in the store and brought it home to me and interesting enough, it's so good. It's called Temptations by Jello. This one was Lemon Meringue Pie. It tasted just like Lemon Meringue Pie filling with meringue on top. It was really good. 

This is what one of them looked like when I opened it. 

Now on to the giveaway. 

I have a $5 Home Depot gift card to give away today. So if you're interested in this just leave an email address along with your comment and I'll pick a winner on Wednesday. Open to US residents only. You'll have 24 hours to get back to me with your mailing address after I email you otherwise another winner will be chosen. 

What's your favorite snack?

Update: A winner has been picked and this giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

This week I received:

2 Tom Ford Perfume Samples

Sugru Mouldable Glue

2 boxes of Equate pad samples

Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash

And a $5 gift card from Crowdtap. 

Did you get anything free this week?

Product Review: Makeup Beauty Sponge Blender and Powder Brush Set

Product Description

ULTIMATE LUXURY - Beauty sponge blender comes with Kabuki brush in the most regal setting imaginable. Apply your makeup right like the queen that you are, both youthful and royal!

FLAWLESS - Two bright pink beauty velvety sponges and one retractable powder brush, all packaged together in a luxurious setting, ready for gift giving (a gift for you counts too!) Use the Beautilee beauty sponge for a flawless application of your foundation, that will make sure your make-up goes on and stays on streak free for an airbrushed look throughout the day.

SOFT - Made from 100% Latex-Free, antibacterial, cruelty-free vegan foam. The quality durable sponge expands in water, can be easily cleaned with any soap or Shampoo. The sponge is as soft as velvet - perfect for your daily makeup routine.

COMPLETE - Complete your daily makeup routine with the retractable Kabuki brush you can use for your powder or blush for a perfect airbrushed finish and a natural flawless look. 

My Review

When I saw all the different beauty foundation blenders on facebook, twitter and blogs, I knew that I wanted to try one. I mean it has to be easier to apply foundation than using your fingertips, right? I even took a look at the blender that my daughter had and when I felt how soft it was, I knew I wanted one too. 

So when I was asked to review this foundation blender and brush set, I jumped at the chance because this is exactly what I've been looking for. I was really surprised just how well the beauty blender worked. It make my foundation go on so easily and I don't get it all over my fingertips now. Plus it really does a great job of blending it in, especially when I use a light concealer under my eyes. It blends the two colors so well and so fast that I'll never go back to using my fingertips again. 

You can use the sponges dry or run them under water and squeeze them gently to use them wet. I've tried both ways and both ways work well. 

The brush is fully retractable and is easy to use and put the cap back on. When you need to clean the sponges you can apply a little soap and warm water and just squeeze and rinse until clean. 

If you'd like to purchase this for yourself, you can find it here. 

I give this make up set 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given this product for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

Falcor turned 2 years old this week. He's holding his Dentastix in his mouth while I took the picture. 

Addicted To Nose Spray?

Have you ever tried a nasal spray like Afrin or a generic nasal spray when you've been sick and just wanted to be able to breathe? Yeah? Me too. About 3 years ago, I had a horrible cold and got a free bottle of Afrin to test out. This stuff was amazing! It cleared my stuffy nose up right away! 

I hate not being able to breathe out of my nose and I've had some allergies ever since I moved to Las Vegas. I found out that I was allergic to Olive tree's and Mulberry bushes. So since the Afrin was working when everything else I tried was not, I decided to just use the nasal spray until pollen season was over. The only problem was...it never seemed to end for me. 

I started out using .05 ounces or Afrin a month. After a few months I was using 1 ounce a month until I was using it every day and buying 3 ounces a month to use. My stuffy nose just kept getting worse so I would use more nose spray. Twice a day went to 4 times a day until I realized that I had been using it every day for 3 years and I was now spraying this crap up my nose 12 times a day and my nose was always stuffy. 

I was addicted to nose spray and the consequences of that is called the rebound effect. After a while it stops working and your nose just stays stuffed up all the time. So last month I stopped using it. It was pure hell. I knew it wasn't allergies because there were no other symptoms. No itchy watery eyes, no sneezing, no scratchy throat. 

There's only one way to stop the rebound effect caused by nasal spray addiction...stop using it. But stopping it when you're addicted to it causes withdrawal symptoms as well. Headaches, sleeplessness, anxiety and moodiness. 

So I started using antihistamine pills and Sudafed pills while I was trying to kick this habit. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. My nose stayed stuffed for more than a week before I finally started feeling some relief. And I mean completely stuffed. No air was moving in or out of my nose at all for about a week. But gradually things started to clear up and get better. It's now been a month and I'm still having some issues with a stuffy nose and I want my Afrin back so bad. But I didn't buy anymore and have tried using those anti snoring devices that hold open your nose at night just in order to be able to breathe a little better. They really don't work well. At one point I thought about getting some plastic aquarium tubing and sticking that in my nose at night so I could breathe. I didn't but I thought about it. 

There should be big red writing on the back of these sprays warning you not to use more than 3 days without stopping use for a few days. In the long run they do more harm than good if you use them too often. 

I wonder if there's a 12 step program for Afrin Addicts. 

Hi, My name is Mary and I'm addicted to Afrin. 

Or what happens to someone if they go to jail and are addicted to Afrin? 

"I'll trade you a pack of cigarettes for a couple of sniffs on the Afrin bottle, man." 

Eh, just a thought. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo Courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"This tunnel ride made me dizzy."

*Photo Courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"That's not food, That's my tail!"

*Photo Courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"Yes, this is always how I drink my chocolate milk."

*Photo Courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"Can I eat this one piece of food without you taking pictures?" 

Product Review: Bellaware Airtight Food Storage Containers with Locking Lids, Plastic, Set of 10

Product Description

Made of food grade raw material | 100% leak proof | Space saving design

BPA free food saver

Microwave, freezer & dishwasher safe

Keeps your food fresh for much longer than traditional containers

Includes: 2(6oz),2(13oz),1(8oz),1(17oz),1(23oz),1(30oz),1(34oz), and 1(50oz)

My Review

For most of my leftovers, I use ziplock baggies. I have for years. But for some foods, I'd like to have a nice set of plastic tubs with lids like for leftover soup, chili and gravy. Things that really don't go into baggies. I also like having this type of container if I'm going to be sending home some leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with my dad. It's nice to be able to put it into a container instead of baggies or plates with aluminum foil on them. 

These containers come with snap locking lids and a rubber seal to keep the lids air tight once you snap them in place. 

They easily fit inside one another for easy storage. And the lids can stay on while they are stacked inside one another so that's really good and helps not lose the lids. The lids lock really well and they seem sturdy. I've used them in the microwave and washed and dried them several times and they seem to be standing up to use very well. 

I really like the containers and have been using them with no problems since getting them. When I got them the price was $29.99 and if you'd like to buy them you can find then here. 

I give this product 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given this set of containers for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Product Review: Expedition First Aid Kit by I GO

Product Description

The Complete First Aid Kit 

The focus of most first aid kit companies is packing as many cheap pieces in as possible. The Complete First Aid Kit is focused on giving the widest variety of products and having quantities for each that will work in harmony. This kit is a great addition to any home, office or car as it contains such a comprehensive set of supplies. Buying this kit also comes with access to a website that gives instructions for using every part of the kit making preparation easy and convenient.

List of Contents: 

1 First Aid Guide 

1 Scissors 9cm 

1 Tweezer 12.5cm 

1 Pair of vinyl gloves (L) 

1 Mini Rescue Howler Whistle 

1 Mini Rescue Howler Whistle 

3 Sting relief pads 

6 Antiseptic towelettes 

14 Alcohol prep pads 

1 Triangular bandage with 2 pins 

1 5" x 9" combine dressing 

20 3/8" x 1 1/2" bandages 

10 Adhesive Bandages 76x25mm 

10 Butterfly bandages 

1 Knuckle bandage 

2 Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 2 x 3 inches 

2pcs 4" x 4" sterile gauze pad 2pcs/pack 

2pcs 3" x 3" sterile gauze pads 2pcs/pack 

4 2" x 2" sterile gauze pads 

1 Elastic Bandage 5cmx4.5m 

1 Adhesive Tape 1.25cmx5m 

1 Carabiner 

1 Content card 

1 EVA first aid bag 15x11x6.0cm

My Review

The carrying case is hard sided which makes it nice for storing in a car, boat, tackle box or backpack. You don't have to worry about the contents getting crushed inside a backpack or suitcase because the carrying case is hard sided and will stand up to some abuse. 

On the inside there's a zippered side and a pocket on the other side so that the things in it don't just tumble around inside the case. This is a nice starter first aid kit or a small kit you would take along while fishing or camping when the kids might get a few cuts or scrapes. I like that there's a whistle in case you need to call out for help if you get lost. 

There's sturdy carabiner so it can be attacked to a back pack, belt or loop in the car so it doesn't get lost. It's my thought that you should always have a first aid kit with you in the car, your home and when you go places like camping, fishing or baby sitting because kids are always falling down getting cuts. 

I have several first aid kits and this is a good one to give as a gift to someone getting their own place for the first time. Like I said, I good starter first aid kit. If you'd like to buy one, you can find it here. 

Disclosure: I received this product free in exchange for an honest review. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

A sample of Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets
Energems Sample

And a box from Pinchme that contained:
Olay Regenerist Sapmple
Sample of Allegra
Sample of ZzzQuil
Garnier Moisturizer
Lancome Moisturizer
Sample of Garnier Whole Blends Shampoo and Conditioner

As well as a $5 Amazon Gift card from Crowdtap. 

So did you get anything free this week?

Product Review: Perlli - Party Serving Bowl Dish with Ice Container, Includes Stainless Steel Chilled Dip Bowls + Crystal clear acrylic Ice Bowl

Product Description

Entertaining in style has never been easier than with the Party Pro Stainless Steel Serving Bowl with Ice Container by Perlli. Keep dips, dressings, appetizers, shrimp cold for 6+ hours without fuss. This party bowl is simple to use, a snap to clean, and designed to make party prep - and your life - easier. Fill the acrylic ice container with crushed ice or ice cubes and add water. The stainless steel dip bowl nests comfortably inside, contacting the ice water and allowing foods to stay cold and fresh. Refill whenever necessary, a typical fill will keep your foods chilled for 6+ hours.

My Review

Have you ever tried to figure out a way to keep a cold dish...cold? I know I made cold shrimp with cocktail sauce one time when family came over and I ended up putting a pan with some ice in it with a plate on top to keep both the cocktail sauce and the shrimp cold. It wasn't pretty but it did the job. 

What I needed was one of these for the cocktail sauce and another bigger one for the shrimp. This is a great idea and I don't know why I didn't think of something like this sooner. 

Now if I make a bowl of cold dip for chips, I can put it in this when family comes over and not have to worry about it being out a little longer because it might spoil. As long as it's kept cold, it can stay out longer and I won't be worrying about it. 

I really think this would be great for parties, BBQ's, picnics and when friends and family come over. This is a smallish bowl, only holds about 1 cup of dip or whatever you plan on using it for. So I would get a bigger bowl like this for the larger things you want to keep chilled. But this works well for salad dressing, cocktail sauce, small amounts of cold salads or small amounts of ceviche that you really need to keep chilled on ice. 

The bowl looks really nice and I like the way it all looks once the ice is in the bottom of the acrylic bowl. If you'd like to purchase this for yourself, you can find it here.

Disclosure: I was given this product at a discount in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Picture of the Week

My favorite picture this week is of my daughter and my grandson. 

Review: Walmart Beauty Box

I love getting these Walmart Beauty Boxes because I never know what I'll get until I get it. This box came back in March and when you sign up, they send out a box every 3 months automatically. The boxes are just $5 and have free shipping. Now for $5, this box was a great deal!

In this box I received: 

Colgate Express White Toothpaste

Roc Multi correction 5 in 1 chest, neck and face cream

Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser

Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Restorative Night Cream

Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Daily Moisturizer

Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer

Banana Boat Sunscreen

Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick

Vera Wang Embrace Perfume Sample

Burt's Bees Intensive Firming Serum Sample

Olay Regenerist Sample

Neutrogena Acne Correct and Cover Foundation Sample

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Foundation Sample

Olay Regenerist Anti Aging Moisturizer Sample

I think this box was well worth the $5 I spent on it. I love getting all these sample size bottles of products that I can try before I buy a full size bottle. If you haven't signed up for the Walmart Beauty Box yet and you like what you see in this box. Sign up now and get the next box that comes out next month. 

And if you have or are expecting a baby, Walmart now has a Baby Box that you can sign up for. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"I love avocado."

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"It's my teddy now and no, I'm not sharing." 

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty." 

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief* 

"We all fit just fine. Stop saying it's gonna break."

Universal Yums Monthly Box Review

Universal Yums is a monthly subscription box that sends you snacks from all over the world. A different place each month. This is my first month and this is the March 2016 box. (I write my posts about a month ahead of time so that's why this is posted this month. I always have about 30-40 blog posts scheduled at any time) 

There are two box sizes to choose from. The 6 or more snacks or 12 or more snacks. I chose the 6 or more snacks box.  For my box size, it's $13.00 a month. And they sent quite a bit in my box. The other box costs $25.00 a month. 

So I was sent 12 snacks in my box. Candies, cakes, chocolates and popcorn. This months box is from The Philippines. It was interesting to try the different snacks because I've never had any of these things. I'm going to share with you a few of the more interesting things I found and my favorites. 

This was a cookies and cream shortbread. It had a really great cookies and cream taste to it and even had some small pieces of cookie in it. But it had a really strange texture to me. 

As soon as I bit into it, it fell apart like powder. I'm used to shortbread being kind of hard. But this was like condensed cookie powder. It was good and I did eat it. 

This was by far my favorite out of the box. It's a hard coffee flavored candy. Tasted just like coffee and was so so good. 

Ken and I both tried this Pandan Cake. It smelled really good and when I broke it in half to share with Ken....

The cake inside was a light green. It was a bit dry but went well with my tea. It tasted a little like a vanilla cupcake. 

I had fun with this box. It was interesting to try new snacks that I've never had before and Ken even liked a couple of them. 

My Take On A Strawberry Shortcake

So I really like Strawberry shortcake but I didn't have those little round cakes to make them, but I did have a box of yellow cake mix. So here's what I did. 

Follow the directions on the box of Yellow Cake Mix, bake, cool and cut into serving sizes. 

Top cake portions with a thin layer of Hersheys Chocolate Spread.

Add a spoonful of diced Strawberries and top with whip cream. 

Ken loved it and so did my daughter. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

A pinchme box with a Kashi bar and a cup of Kashi GoLean cereal
A sample pack of Playtex Tampons and pads
Sample pack of Always Pads

And a $5 gift card from Crowdtap

And I turned in points on MyPoints for a $10 Amazon gift card. 

Did you get anything free this week?