Posted by brandy3 on November 9, 2009
Duncan Hines now has baking mixes made with whole grain
Made with 100%whole grain and 0 grams trans fat, get the best while your baking.
** They turned out really good, you could really taste the cinnamon. also comes with a packet of apples. The granola topping we were not to fond of. The granola has milk in it, and hubby’s allergic. So i made some with the toppings and some without. My children and I still preferred the muffins without the granola toppings.
**The chocolate chink is also made with 100% whole grain and 0 grams trans fat. This also features chunks of chocolate and chocolate chips. My children and I really enjoyed these muffins, they were delicious. Chocolate muffin, chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, who wouldn’t love that. every women’s dream!
** The directions on both of these are very simple and easy to make.
Retail price:$3.99
Rating:9
just for you I have a box of each of these delicious muffins for oe reader.
to enter tell me what you love to bake?
Subscribe to my feed-10 entries
blog about this-8 entries
tweet-9 entries daily for 4
follow me on twitter-5 entries
contest closes:12/5/09
Disclosure: I received samples of the products at no cost to me from Duncan Hines. This however does not affect my views on the product. All opinions are my own and will not be influenced.
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Posted by brandy3 on November 9, 2009
Posted in giveaways | Leave a Comment »
Posted by brandy3 on November 9, 2009
Company info:Wen was developed by celebrity hairstylist Chaz Dean, after years of seeing the damage caused by ordinary shampoos on his clients’ hair. Wen which takes a unique approach to cleaning and conditioning hair in a single-step process. It’s made with natural ingredients and avoids damaging detergents usually found in shampoos — so it won’t strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils.
Wen was created with a balance of herbs and natural ingredients to not only cleanse your scalp and hair but to also moisturize, soothe, strengthen and add sheen. Chaz says some of his own clients find Wen a tough sell at first – the idea of giving up shampoo for a one step cleansing conditioner that doesn’t lather – but he finds that even the most reluctant clients become dedicated and loyal fans after trying it – including celebrities like Jennie Garth, Finola Hughes and Melissa Gilbert.
I got to try out the Wen cleansing conditioner- Which is a single step process that cleanses and conditions. Rather than lathering it feels like thick conditioning treatment on the hair. Made with natural ingredients avoiding sodium laurel sulfate and other damaging detergents.
Benefits include:
- Adds moisture, body and shine
- Works great on any kind of hair
- leaves hair soft manageable and touchable
- can be used before or after any chemical treatment
- repairs damage, renews elasticity, and reduces chemical stress
****This conditioner is so great. My hair feels so smooth and soft after i used it. still a little frizzy, but not as much as it usually is. it’s smells very good, like mint, but it reminds me of beauty school. It smelled like that all the time.
***I also got to try out the Wen wide tooth shower comb, this is great for brushing your hair in the shower while conditioner is in. It makes the hair less tangly when you get out. my main use for this is when I give my daughters a bath. their hair is so tangly and this helps being able to brush their hair, while the conditioner is in. No fighting with them, and easier to brush through the hair.
Retail price: the whole Wen hair care 30 day system plus shipping is $35.90
Visit http://www.wenhaircare.com/?uci=ous555 to purchase
Rating: 8
Disclosure: These products were provided free of charge for the purposes of review in order to provide my unbiased assessment of the product for my readers.
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Posted by brandy3 on November 9, 2009
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, people are buying and preparing for the big dinner. I’ve only had to prepare my own thanksgiving once, so I would still consider myself a newbie. The one time I did I used a precooked turkey from Butterball. Everything is done for you just put in the oven and wait.
If this is your first time cooking your own Thanksgiving check out the Butterball website for great tips and recipes. They have perfect portions and thawing guide to help you chose what pound turkey to buy, how long to thaw it, and how long to cook your turkey.
They also have great recipes to try out like the turkey with chorizo cornbread stuffing.
- 1 pound fresh chorizo sausage
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 package (16 ounces) cornbread stuffing crumbs
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (14 pound) Butterball® Fresh or Frozen Whole Turkey, thawed if frozen
- no-stick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Crumble chorizo into large skillet. Cook on medium heat 5 minutes, or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Drain; set aside. Wipe skillet with paper towels to remove grease.
- Melt butter in same skillet on medium heat. Add onion, celery, red pepper and jalapeno pepper. Cook and stir 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in sage and thyme. Set aside.
- Combine dry stuffing, chorizo and vegetable mixture in large bowl. Stir in broth.
- Combine chili powder, garlic salt, oregano and black pepper. Set aside.
- Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey. Refrigerate for another use or discard.
- Drain juices from turkey. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
- Fill neck cavity with part of the stuffing. Turn wings back to hold neck skin against back of turkey. Fill body cavity with stuffing.
- Place turkey, breast up, on flat roasting rack in shallow roasting pan. Spray turkey with cooking spray. Sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Place small pieces of aluminum foil over skin of neck cavity and over stuffing at body cavity opening to prevent over browning during baking.
- Bake 4 hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 165°F when inserted in center of stuffing and 180°F when inserted in thickest part of thigh. Cover breast and tops of drumsticks with aluminum foil after 2-1/2 hours to prevent over cooking of breast.
If you are cooking, and will be spending majority of the day in the kitchen, Get the kids involved. Butterball has some great tips for involving your kids in the meal preparation.
- Be prepared-let them know what you will be cooking and how they can help. Mix up the routine a little for their enjoyment.
- help them feel like a cooking whiz-let them feel the part with a cooking apron and hat, plus let them have their own plastic measuring spoons and utensils.
- safety first- remind them that the stove and knifes are adult jobs and they shouldn’t lick spoons, and always wash your hands.
- assign the right tasks-assign tasks that are age appropriate and they can handle.
- have a blast-cooking can be a great way to bond with your child so relax and have fun.
Just for you Butterball has generously given me 4 coupons for a free turkey($15 which can get you a 10-12 lb turkey).
To enter visit Butterball and tell me what recipe interest you and it can’t be the one i mentioned in my post
extra entries-
blog about this-10 entries
subscribe to my feed-12 entries
tweet-7 entries can be done daily for 4
follow me on twitter-5 entries
Because this is a short contest you can enter has much as you want. no limit.
Please only US addresses
Contest will close 11/20/09 at noon est, to ensure winners get it by thanksgiving
Posted in company info, giveaways | 37 Comments »
Posted by brandy3 on November 9, 2009
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Posted by brandy3 on November 8, 2009
Product Description: Little Mommy’ Walk and Giggle’ doll needs your loving care as you nurture, play and help her take her very first big girl steps! Try to keep up as this interactive doll goes from sitting, to standing, to walking with you, and all by herself! This ‘big girl’ also loves to play peek-a-boo, drink’ from her bottle and take her puppy pull toy for a walk. Fully interactive doll includes 60 phrases, sounds and songs.
*****This doll is so fun for any little girl, she talks, walks, sits, everything. My daughters are following her around everywhere. The doll takes 6 AA batteries that are not included, and the batteries go fast since this doll is so active. It’s like the doll has a mind of its own. over 60 words, and she goes from sitting to standing to walking. perfect gift for any “little mommy”
Recommended for ages 3+
retail price:69.99 on Amazon.com
rating:8
Disclosure: I received the product at no charge in exchange for my review, this however does not affect my views on the product. All opinions are my own.
Posted in Holiday Gift Guide 2009, childrens, gift ideas, reviews, toys | 1 Comment »
Posted by brandy3 on November 7, 2009
My 23 month old son, has had normal cold symptoms for two weeks. The past couple days though he has had a fever of 104. Tylenol would make it go down, but it would come right back up in a couple hours.
I hesitated the doctor and ER, because i didn’t want to catch H1N1, even though he has been vaccinated. So Wednesday he started having trouble breathing and fever went back up. I finally took him to the ER, and only waited about 5 minutes(good time).
They couldn’t find anything wrong with him, but were worried about his breathing. They decided to schedule chest X-rays, and found pneumonia.
So not knowing much about it, i immediately freaked out. All i knew was it can be deadly. They gave me a prescription for amoxicillin and set me home.
that simple. who knew?
Now a few days later he is his perky old self and fevers gone.
Have you ever had pneumonia or are you prepared for it this flu season?
Posted in me talking | 4 Comments »
Posted by brandy3 on November 7, 2009
Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s makes family meals easier, with a full variety of great tasting, easy to prepare seafood that will please kids and adults alike. Whether you want those famous fish sticks made from 100% whole white fish fillet or tender, crunchy fish fillets, Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s time-honored recipes are sure to include every family’s favorites. Each item in the varied line of seafood specialties also comes packed in a freshness pouch, helping to prevent freezer burn and offering the best quality by ensuring the preserved taste and texture of every Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s product.
These are not the fish sticks we grew up with. A combination of taste, crunchiness, and 100% whole white fish fillet in their fish sticks, make it a kid pleaser.(Trust me, my kids are so picky and they liked the fish sticks.)
I was able to try out these wonderful fish sticks.
****They are not that expensive and very easy to make. They were just okay on the taste. My kids actually ate them which was good, but the Mrs Paul left my house smelling like fish. The Van De Camps was a little better with the smell, but it tasted just the same.
Retail:$4.99-$5.99 at most major retailers
Rating:5
Just for you:
I have two coupons to try out Mrs. Paul’s and Van de Camp seafood product. Please don’t let my review persuade you from entering, Every person is different and you may like them more.
to enter leave me a comment with your favorite seafood.
Extra entries:
blog about this:15 entries
tweet about this:9 entries(can be done daily for 6)
follow me in on twitter: 5 entries
subscribe to my feed: 10 entries
contest closes 12/3/09
Posted in giveaways, reviews | 56 Comments »
Posted by brandy3 on November 7, 2009
Synopsis: Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness
Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.
Bonus features:
- Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.
Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the
misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.”
- The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings.
- Partly Cloudy –The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up.
Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the
babies?
- Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the
design and story of the film.
Features for the Blu-ray disc.
- Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary.
- Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story.
- Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies come from.
- Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger.
Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.
- Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the film.
- Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz’s dirigible presented the
filmmakers with two different problems.
- Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film.
- Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
- Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game.
****This is a funny movie and very different from a lot of Disney movies I have seen. My children really enjoyed the characters, specially Russell and Dug. All I kept hearing was Mommy a talking doggie! I really like the character of Carl, he is a typical old man. My favorite part is when the house first takes off, and he realizes Russell is on the porch. Russell says can I please come in, Carl says no and slams the door! Ha classic!
Retail price:2 disc set-$39.99 and 4 disc Blu-ray combo-$45.99
Release date:November 10, 2009
Running time-96 minutes long
Disclosure: I received this product free in exchange for my review. However this does not affect my personal views on the product.
Posted in Disney, Holiday Gift Guide 2009, childrens, gift ideas, movies, reviews | Leave a Comment »
Posted by brandy3 on November 5, 2009
Product Description:When Swiper tries to swipe the Christmas Star from Dora’s Nochebuena Party, he lands on Santa’s naughty list. To get back on the nice list, Dora must help Swiper travel to the past, the present, and the future to discover the true spirit of Christmas. Will you help too?
**** This movie is great for the holidays. My kids were so excited to learn more about Christmas, and helping Swiper getting on Santa’s nice list. We really like Dora, and my kids speak in total spanish when watching her. In this episode, you can learn spanish christmas words, and how Dora and her family celebrate the holiday season.
Release date: Nov.3, 2009
Running time: 52 minutes
retail: $13.99 on Amazon.com
Rating:9
Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD at no charge to me in exchange for my review. This however does not affect my views on the product.
Posted in Holiday Gift Guide 2009, childrens, gift ideas, movies, reviews | Leave a Comment »
