Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer Review

This is hands down the BEST drying  tool I’ve used EVER!  Believe me, I’ve tried everything that’s out there, blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons, other brands of hot brushes, hot rollers in every size imaginable, but I’ve never found anything that works like this does.  Think about it,  no more trying to hold a round brush in one hand and a blower in the other hand, no flat iron, just a product that works.

You will look like you’ve had a salon blowout after you use this.  I read about it online and reviewers compared it very favorably to the new Dyson pricey $500 brush dryer.  I read over and over how good it was, I bought it and I was just amazed from day one.  Even long hair doesn’t tangle in the brushes, it gives your hair volume and shine, it’s a time saver, it just works.

I usually let my hair partially air dry, usually to about 80%, or if I’m in a hurry, I’ll blow dry it part of the way, then use this to finish.  I turn my head upside down and blow from the back starting at the nape of the neck first, then I blow dry it in sections.  Most people start at the back bottom and work up, for me it’s easiest to do the crown first, then flip the hair that I’ve dried forward and continue downward.  It’s just what works for you.  I loved this dryer so much I bought it for both daughters-in-law, they too think it’s wonderful.

So, if you want to give yourself a great gift for $60, the link is below.

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer Review

This thing is holy grail, trust me on this.  ~ Jan

Below is the video I watched that convinced me I needed to buy this.

Parchment Paper Liners for Muffins

 

 I love all things to do with cooking, and I have a feeling I’m a little late to this parchment paper game, but last month when we were visiting Ryan and family, we went every morning for breakfast at The Dixie Diner, a great little restaurant not far from their house and every morning I had a Jumbo Blueberry Muffin (don’t judge me) in a parchment paper liner like this one above.  I was intrigued, the muffin didn’t adhere to the paper like it does with a regular muffin liner and it was so darn cute.  It’s all about the presentation for this old(er) girl.

So I did a little research and it’s a pretty simple thing to do.  For jumbo muffins or cupcakes you need 6” parchment paper squares and for regular sized muffins or cupcakes you need 5” squares. Now you could cut your own, but seriously, who wants to do that when you can buy them precut already.

If you want the tulip effect like the one above, it does take a little work, but they look so good they are totally worth it.

It’s pretty simple really, just pleat the muffin around an overturned glass the same size as the muffin tin and then plop them in the tins.  I suppose you could just pleat them inside the tin itself, but this is much easier.

You can buy these liners, bleached or unbleached.  I’ll do easy links for you below.  AND since yours truly, who buys everything kitchen related just realized that I don’t have jumbo muffin tins, I’m going to remedy that today by ordering them.  Oh, I am a sucker for Amazon Prime, but aren’t we all.

So, here are the links, happy baking, and now your muffins will look just like the ones in the bake shops. 😋
 

 

The ones I ate were in these unbleached liners, which looked great.  Here’s the link for the 5” ones

And the 6” ones, are actually marketed to use as squares between hamburger patties, which brings up a whole other subject that I will address in another post.

Here’s the link for the 6” ones

And now for those jumbo muffin pans, Wilton sells them on Amazon for $11.99 Prime.  Here’s the click

 

Not your typical "Grannie Panties"

Thongs, bikini panties, boy briefs, well those days are long gone, thank goodness.  So what’s an old(er) girl to do.  

I’ve tried a lot of panties over the years and I haven’t found any that I like better than these.  They’re really comfortable, they aren’t ugly, they’re not hot, they wash well and don’t give you muffin top, it’s a total win-win. They have just enough spandex to give you light control and they are made of silky fabric, so your clothes glide on smoothly.  If you don’t like the neutrals they also come in brights.

These are a super everyday panty, trust me on this one.  ~ Jan

Here’s the link, check them out for yourself...

DIY Dry Dog Shampoo that WORKS!

Boy, do I have a great tip for you.  This recipe is floating all over the net so on a whim I gave it a try.  It’s all natural, non-irritating and I pinkie swear, it will make your furry friend smell amazing.  

It takes 5 minutes to make, put it in a shaker jar and you’re done!

1/2 cup Baking Soda
1/2 cup Cornstarch
3-5 drops of Essential Oil, I used 4 drops of lavender

Whisk all together, I put mine in a spice jar, sprinkle it on Maggie, brush her and she smells so good.  The smell doesn’t dissipate quickly either, it lingers on her  fur for a couple of days …  What a find!

Drugstore Foundations, I've got some good ones for you,

The ladies of YouTube rave about these two foundations so I decided to try them.  And the results, surprisingly good. Also,  I have really sensitive skin, and both of these foundations are non-irritating.

Wet ’n Wild Photofocus Foundation.  This is a medium coverage foundation, it doesn’t oxidize on my skin and ladies it’s fantastic.  And the price, $4.99 on Amazon.  Yep, this isn’t a typo, it’s $4.99.  I bought the color Golden Beige and it’s the closest color to my skin that I’ve ever found.  I really really like this foundation.  It goes on smoothly, has a soft-focus look, it’s just da bomb.  The only negative I have about it is the applicator, it’s okay, but I wish it would have had a pump.

Interested?  Sure you are for $4.99 - here’s the link  

I know, it seems to be good to be true, but for the price of a latte at Starbucks you can have this great foundation.  And did I mention that it’s not oily, no shiny face after you’ve had it on for hours.

 

And the second foundation is Milani Conceal Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation Concealer.  I’m a huge fan of Milani products.  Great price point, great products, I love their lipsticks, eye shadows and most of all their bronzers and blushes.  This foundation was also highly recommended on YouTube and it doesn’t disappoint.

If you like a full coverage foundation, this one is it!  It’s reminiscent of MaxFactor Pancake Makeup, remember that back in the day, but it’s liquid so it goes on smoothly, and it has a pump, which I love.  This too has staying power with no oil, I bought the color Warm Beige, and it’s a little dark for me, but I think it will be fine this summer.

Again, great price point, this one is $9.99 on Amazon.  Shocking isn’t it, that you can get these great products for so cheap!

Here’s the link for the Milani 

At these prices, you can try them both and toss them or give them away if you don’t like them, but I have a feeling you are going to be shocked at how well they perform.  You don’t have to spend $20-50+ on foundation, these are excellent dupes for high end products.

I also have several other products for you, but that’s for another day so check back with me to see what else I’m loving these days.

What a deal these foundations are!  Enjoy ~ Jan

The best K-Cup I've ever had...

 

Fruity and winey, with medium to heavy body and a rich blackberry finish, this is the best coffee EVER. From the slopes of Mt. Kenya, through the Rift Valley, to the shores of Lake Victoria, the Kenyan coffee farmers patiently nurture coffee trees that produce some of the world's best coffee beans.

It’s SO good, just had to share this with you.  Amazon Prime has it, grab it here… ~ Jan

Awesome Plastic Wrap Dispenser

Plastic wrap dispensers are, well indispensible.  Okay, it’s a play on words, but these things are just awesome.  I first saw them on Pioneer Woman and was impressed at how well they work.   And who doesn’t struggle with plastic wrap, sometimes I just totally give up because it always clings to the wrap instead of the bowl.  But this little gadget changes everything.  I sit what I’m wrapping beside the dispenser, pull out the wrap, attach it to the bowl and then use the cutter on the dispenser for a clean cut.  Works perfect every time.

This dispenser comes with 250 feet of plastic wrap, you can refill it with plastic wrap from the grocery store and it’s $15 from Amazon Prime.  It’s worth the $15 to just ease the frustration.

Here’s the link if you’re interested in it, too 

I’ll make it easier for you, here it is in action - different pattern, but this veggie one is cuter. 

 But I’m not finished yet, there is also a dispenser for Aluminum Foil.  This one comes with a 12x30 ft. roll of aluminum foil and it’s also refillable.  It has a magnetic closure, there is a video on Amazon’s site that you can watch.   I haven’t bought this yet, but I’m going to, today!

Here’s the link for the foil

You know how much I enjoy kitchen gadgets, and anything that’s a timesaver is worth the money.  This is a really good thing… ~ Jan

If your hair is thinning, you need this!

Okay, sharing my very favorite finds from this past year.   Yeah, I’m a little late to the game, I keep forgetting (it’s age related) 🤨  We can’t be like Maxine and wear a ball cap, there has to be a better way, well there is and I found it!

First is dry shampoo.  This stuff is seriously, seriously awesome.  I first started using it last fall when I purchased Herbal Essence Dry Shampoo.  I was using it on day old, or two day old hair since I no longer shampoo my hair daily like I have all my life.  Shocking, isn’t it, but now that I’m older, it’s dryer, the texture is different and I just don’t have to.  When I started using dry shampoo  I immediately noticed my hair looked thicker and it smelled wonderful.  I have tons of hair in the back, it’s just the top and the sides that are thinning.  You know how it is, your part just keeps getting wider and wider.  And you think it’s hopeless, but it isn’t.  Read on...

We were on our way to Lexington to visit Ryan’s family and I realized I had left my Herbal Essence at home, so hubby took a quick detour, I ran into CVS and they didn’t have it.  So instead I grabbed a bottle of Beach Babe and it was a total game changer.

It smells like coconut, and at first it was overpowering, and like perfume, use it a few times and you barely notice it.  But using this dry shampoo gives you so much oomph, yep, thats the only way to describe it, your hair looks thicker and it has oomph.  I quickly went from using it the next day to using it on wet, freshly shampooed hair.  Then I dry it and I spray even more on it.  And wahlaa, no more limp straggly hair, I use a root booster first on my wet hair, then spray the front and sides liberally with Beach Babe and my first day hair looks decent, the next morning I spray again before styling and it looks even better.  The third day, spray again and it’s FANTASTIC!

This is the root booster I’ve been using, it’s a good one, I’ve tried a lot of them and when I use this with the dry shampoo I think it’s magic.  But wait, I forgot a step.  When my hair is freshly shampooed the first thing I do is to apply Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oi & Restore Leave-In Conditioner.   
 

I did a review of this, and here’s the link for you.   You might want to click on my link and watch Elle’s video, she explains it really well.  At first I only applied the Shea Moisture to my ends, thinking that if I put it all over it would make my hair flat like conditioner tends to do, but one day I took a walk on the wild side and applied it to the top of my hair and sides as well.  And it didn’t make it  flat at all, it just made it feel thicker.  After doing this I used the root booster and my holy grail Beach Babe Dry Shampoo and it looked even better than when I didn’t use it.  So now that’s the first thing I do, and I apply it liberally.  This Shea Moisture might not work for you if your hair is very fine, but if it isn’t, give it a try and see what you think.

I know, this is a lot of product to put in your hair, but it’s totally worth it.  Be realistic, this isn’t going to make your hair look like it did when you were young, but it will make what you do have look noticably thicker and not be limp and flat.  Hubby took a new Facebook picture of me yesterday, and you can see that the top of my hair doesn’t look too bad.  But if you could see my hair without any product in it, you would quickly understand what this does.  This is second day hair, I didn’t do much with it, just twisted it up, and also my hair is really long. Middle of my back long, and I debate daily as to whether or not to cut it.  I would never wear it down, I look like a hag, but it’s so quick and easy to just put it up and go, and it’s off my face,  I look at pictures of myself from five years ago when I had a bob and I realize that this makes me look older, it’s not trendy, but I am older now. And that bob with bangs didn’t look so great either, Abby would always tell me, “Grammie, your hair is floppy.”  Out of the mouths of babes...

These products are very inexpensive, you can purchase all of them for under $25.  If your hair is driving you crazy, too, give this a try, I bet it will work for you, too.  ~ Jan

Oh, links, I have links for you.

Beach Babe Dry Shampoo

John Frieda Root Booster

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave In Conditioner 

My Pillows, do I love them?

I like them, I’m not in love with them yet, but I just got them last week so I haven’t had time to really bond with them.  I’m brutal on pillows, BRUTAL - I punch them, flip them to the cool side incessantly, wad them in a ball, flip them again, fluff them, pull them toward my head, then away from my head, all in the space of, oh an hour.  You guessed it, there hasn’t been a lot of restful sleep going on at my house.

I’ve watched the infomercials about how these pillows are the end all, I’ve talked to people, our neighbors, Don and Jacquie have them, they hate them, my buddy V has them, she loves them, her hubby, Rich hates them.  Zuilly occasionally has these pillows for a good price, $64.99 for a set of king size, and when they came back in stock a few weeks ago I ordered them.

Now LC was just shaking his head, he’s lived the pillow wars with me.  I’ve had goose down, duck down, chicken feathers, foam, gel, poly filled, are you starting to get the picture here?  I’ve spent a chunka change on pillows over the years and they just aren’t all that! Currently I have this worn out feather pillow that I drag everywhere like Linus with his blanket.  Seriously, if we’re going on a car trip, that pillow is the first thing that is loaded.  Other people have horrid pillows too, it’s just not me and I detest a hard, unyielding pillow with a purple passion!!!

So last week the pillows arrive, it takes for-ev-er to get things from Zuilly, I’m spoiled with Amazon Prime, Zuilly is in no hurry to ship.  They came in this little box, hubby unpacked them and instantly complained that we had been ripped off because they were flat as a flitter.  I explained to him that V told me you had to put them in the dryer sandwiched between a damp towel, so I did that and they came out nice and puffy.  I bought the soft-medium ones, I put them on the bed and took them for a spin.  They are supposed to have a “cooling” effect, so you don’t put a pillow protector on them, just a 100% cotton pillow case.  When you lay down they feel firm, they’re filled with shredded foam, they don’t lump, but they do adjust to your head and it’s kinda soft in the middle where the indentation is.  

And what do I think of them?  Well, they are not what they advertise, I still toss and turn all night, and I flip the pillow, but I no longer wad it up or fluff it, I just flip it.  Does it have a cooling effect?  Oh who the hell knows, I’m still hot all the time, so I’m not a judge.  But I have been waking up lately with neck pain and I have to say that it’s gone now, probably in part because I’m laying on a pillow that isn’t all bunched up.  I just asked LC this morning how he’s liking them and he says, “oh they’re okay I guess, I never know which pillow I’m sleeping on anyway.”  Men Schmen!

But I am going to order two more of them, so I must like them.  Well, actually it’s more economics and desperation.  They’re decent pillows, and you don’t buy decent pillows for $32.50 apiece, at least I haven’t been able to do so.

So, if you think you might like them, go ahead, knock yourself out, pull out that old credit card and CHARGE!

The link, ya, I know you want it, here it is...

Let’s face it, you’re not breaking the bank, these pillows in king size are usually over $100 for a set.  The worst case scenario, you blew $64.99, less if you buy queen size.  Hope you enjoy.  ~ Jan

Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo, It's Good Stuff!

I used to wash my hair every single morning, my entire adult life I washed it and blew it dry every morning, and then a year or so ago I realized I didn’t have to do this anymore.   I wear my hair long these days, but never down, I look like a hag with it down, it's always up and I realized that 2nd day hair was always easier to work with then freshly shampooed hair, it had more texture, wasn’t as flyaway and as I age, it’s not oily like it was when I was younger.  It’s a freeing experience, not washing your hair every morning, and my secret trick is Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo.  It gives your hair texture, and VOLUME ladies, you would be surprised at how much VOLUME it gives you.  Not to mention that it smells positively delicious.

So now I can go 2 days, 3 days even, I just spritz this shampoo at the roots and my hair smells mahvelous, dahling.  And it has tons of VOLUME!  The price is great, too $5.99 at your local Target and comes in several scents.

You know I always share the good stuff and this dry shampoo is a game changer!  Did I mention that it gives your hair VOLUME? ;-)  Seriously, it looks so much thicker when you use this!  

Try it Mikey, you’ll like it, pinky swear you will.  ~ Jan

The chili of my childhood...

It wasn't until after I was grown that I realized not everyone ate pickles with their chili.  It was a staple at our house, and looking back, it was probably mother using what she had.  We always had sweet pickles and dill pickles with chili, no peanut butter sandwiches, no cornbread, just pickles and crackers and always in the fall apple pie.

I loved it then, and I love it now.  I make really good chili, you want to know how I do it?  Okay, here goes...

First of all, I’m a slow cooker kinda girl, it’s easy, you set it and forget it.  But if you don’t use a slow cooker, I’m a fan of putting it in a big pot, adding the lid and baking it in the oven.  You don’t have to watch it or stir it to make sure it doesn’t stick like you do if you cook it on top of the stove, I’m all about easy in my old(er) age.

2 lbs. ground chuck browned with a large chopped onion, two onions if yours aren’t really big, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can of Brooks Chili Mix with Beans

Thought you might like a picture, so you can see what it looks like.  If you can’t find this, just substitute a couple of cans of chili beans with sauce 

Now back to the recipe...

1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 or 3 cans of light red kidney beans, drained
sometimes I use 2 cans of light red kidney beans and 1 can of chili beans with sauce, I don’t drain the chili beans with sauce
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons of sugar to cut the acidity
1 dry packet of chili seasoning mix - I like Brooks best, it’s hard to find, but any dry mix will do 

Brown the ground beef and onions, stir into chili mixture and cook on high in your slow for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  If you bake it in the oven, cook it at 350-375 degrees for an hour.

If you like more heat, add a dash or two of cayenne pepper to the ground beef as you are browning it.  Then taste it after it cooks to see if you need additional chili powder.

The Hoosier way of eating chili is to stir in macaroni.  I don’t do this at first but a day or so later, I cook jumbo elbow macaroni, put it in the bowls and ladle chili over it like I did in the picture above.  I never chili mac as a kid, it’s strictly an Indiana thing, but it is good.

Mother didn’t make her chili like this, she just used hamburger, onions, a quart of her home canned tomatoes and added cans of chili beans.  Hers wasn’t highly seasoned, but the pickles took it over the top.

Oh, the pickles - the best pickles EVER, EVER, EVER are these - 

Oh my, I can’t say enough about Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickle Chips.  They are absolutely wonderful, just the right combo of sweet and hot, they are YUMMY!  We buy these at Costo in big jars, I add them to so many things. tuna salad, macaroni salad and sandwiches and they are gone before our next trip back.  Amazing pickles, if you’ve never tried them, look for them in your market, they are delicious!  If you can’t find them, of course Amazon has them, Amazon has everything... 

 

 

Kindle Paperwhite, I'm loving it...

I’m so late jumping on the Kindle bandwagon, and I’m a techie gadget girl, oh Kindle where have you been all my life…  I got on the e-reader bandwagon as soon as they came out with a Sony Reader, it was bulky, didn’t operate well, but this was in the e-reader infancy and my first experience with any kind of electronic reading device.

And then along came my iPad and I read non-stop on it using iBooks.  Then I bought an iPad mini and read using it. 

And then I fell out of love with iPads, instead gravitating to a MacBook Pro, and once again reading books on it.  I’m a voracious reader, I read fast, sometimes I skim, but I go through several books a week.  I never ever read a real book anymore, I like the convenience of digital books and the fact that I can have so many loaded onto whatever device I’m reading them on.

So last month when Amazon had their big July blowout, on a whim I bought a Kindle Paperwhite.  It was on sale for $89, it was a good deal, and I thought I might enjoy it.  It took a bit of getting used to, it doesn’t operate as fluidly as my Apple products, and it’s greyscale, no color, but after a few days I was hooked.  Why?  What sets it apart from an iPad or my MacBook?

First, it’s so lightweight, there is nothing to it.  It doesn’t get hot to the touch, it’s very portable, there is never any glare like I have with my iPad or my MacBook. I read outside, I stick it in my purse to read in the car, I grab it and take it to bed, I carry it around everywhere.  The battery life is awesome, too.   I bought a white one, I’m a fan of anything white, and I bought a Vera Bradley blue paisley quilted case for it.  So I’m all set, right?  No, not exactly, after watching MsKristin321 on YouTube, she had this cute little Ayotu cover for hers, I just had to have it, the price was right, $15.59 so it’s now in my Amazon shopping cart. 

Here’s the link

I know several of you are reading this and wondering why i didn’t buy a Kindle years ago.  I dunno, I guess I’m such an Apple fan girl, I never thought outside my box.  But I’m so glad I finally did, it’s a relatively cheap thrill, it’s easy to convert .epub books to .mobi using Calibre and the portability of it is wonderful!  

I’m in love, what more can I say… ~ Jan

I did it, I bought a ROOMBA!!!!

 

A couple of years ago, my friend Holly told me that I needed a Roomba, she has cats and swears by hers.  The price point is a bit hateful, so I didn’t buy it, but since then I’ve seen over and over again on Facebook people singing it’s praises, and nobody seems to have negative things to say about it.

The first time we saw our house, I told hubby I loved it but the floors would be a b*tch to keep clean because they were dark.  He kind of shook his head, I don’t think he really understood how unforgiving dark wood is.  But boy, does he ever get it now.  He’s the floor guy, and it’s a daily job, using the Swiffer and cleaning them with the Bona wet system.  We bought a Shark Cordless Vac and it helped but it was still a royal pain in the patootie.  

Out of desperation he started reading about the Roomba, and was quickly onboard.  We snagged a great deal, but that’s another blog post, fired it up and O . M. G. it does a phenomenal job with the floors.  This thing is seriously awesome, seriously!  I was worried about the sensors, since my floors are so dark, but she has no problems at all.  It runs for a long time, I walk by and say “Hi Hazel, great job you’re doing” while grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary.  If you have stairs, you can set up zones so that she doesn’t go near them, these are highly engineered, the company that builds them does a wonderful job.

Every morning she undocks herself, cleans the floors and then redocks to charge again.  And since I name everything, I named her Hazel, after the 60’s maid in the sitcom Hazel, one of my favorite shows of that era.

Here’s a video of Hazel in action, boy was she a “doozy."

If you’ve been considering a Roomba, I highly recommend it.  She goes from wood to carpet to tile with no problems.  She vacuums my closet, under my bed, along my cabinets, and she never complains or gets tired, Hazel is da bomb!!!!!

~ Jan

It'll Blow the Lid Right Off the Popper

If you are a certain age, you will remember Orville Redenbacher, the geeky guy from Valparaiso, Indiana, and how he always blew his lid right off the popper.  Our family has coughed up the big bucks for his popcorn since it first came out, nothing else compares with his big fluffy kernels, but we don’t do the microwave bags, too unhealthy.  We have had several Presto Microwave Poppers, you know the ones with the nasty little paper disk in the bottom.  But the poppers worked well, so I just spent a chunka change replacing those disks.

A couple of weeks ago, hubby was popping corn and the whole lid just broke in half and fell apart, so it was obviously time for a new one.  I checked them out on Amazon, decided that I just couldn’t handle that Presto one any longer, it’s time to update to silicone.

This silicone popper had good reviews, the price was right, $12.97 Prime, so I ordered it.  It’s pliable, folds flat, easy to store, at first hubby thought it was a bit small, but we quickly found out that it pops just the right amount.

No more nasty disks, you can put oil in the bottom (Orville Redenbcher’s Popping Oil, of course) and salt along with the popcorn, 1/4 cup seems to be the right amount, and in less than 3 minutes you have popcorn.  When you put the lid on, it sinks down in the bowl, but raises as the corn pops.

It’s a winner, winner, chicken dinner, check it out here if you need a new popper, too.

Ree's Mercantile Salt and Pepper Shakers

I’m such a sucker anything that Pioneer Woman has, does and sells.  She has these in her store and I’m literally sitting on my hands to keep from buying them.  They’re only $14 and just as cute as can be.  I keep telling myself I’m trying to declutter, I don’t need these, but oh they’re perfect.

Hubby says, just buy them, but I’m resisting.  Will I really be able to not to?  Time will tell...

They’re very 50’s retro, and I do have those adorable Dept. 56 egg plates.

I have really scaled down my table, at least for me I have.  Nothing on it but the lazy susan and these “few” collectibles.  But wouldn’t those s&p shakers look really cute with the egg plates?  But the Campbell’s Soup Kids s&p shakers look really good, too.

See what I mean, it’s a dilema, should I or shouldn’t I?  Scarlett is going to worry about this tomorrow but in the meantime here’s a link in case any of you want to order these.

Here’s they are, go for it...

~ Jan ~

Style Stick

 

No more gaping blouses, collars that stay down, temporary hemming your pants, all using this water soluble glue stick - isn’t this a great idea?  I saw this on People Magazine this morning, and found this video on QVC.

This product is not available right now on QVC, but you can get it from Joyus.

Two sticks are $22, it doesn’t break the bank, and no more gaping blouses.  Whoohoo, works for me.

Here’s the link, this looks like a winner...

S'well Bottle Review

Okay, 

Okay, I did it, after contemplating over this for weeks, I coughed up the big bucks and bought this water bottle.  It was $35, way beyond my threshold of pain for a water bottle, but I have four friends that have it and it’s a hit with them, so I jumped on the band wagon, too.

S’well’s claim to fame is that it keeps cold drinks cold for 24 hours, and hot drinks hot for 12 hours.  And does it, yep, sure does.  If I put ice in one morning and don’t drink it all, it still has ice the next morning.

But, who doesn’t drink it all in one day, I refill it multiple times, and since I’m not a water drinker, I squirt liquid flavor enhancer in it.  My brand of choice is Crystal Light Liquid, favorite flavor seems to be Strawberry Lemonade.  I’ve tried them all and like them, but I reach for the Strawberry Lemonade more than the others.  I started with Mio, they’re both made by Kraft, the hype is Crystal Light appeals to the older generation, Mio, the younger.  Need I say more...

So once I made the monumental decision to spend $35 on a water bottle, for some reason that price just seemed excessive, next came color choice.  I got opinions from my girlfriends, waffled back and forth between this color, Blue DenimOpal Marble and Lily Wood were all in the running.  The problem is that they have a badzillion fifty-seven choices.  I finally decided on Birds of Paradise, pretty melon color, catchy name, I ordered it (free shipping, no tax) it arrived, I took it out of the box and whoa doggies, was it ever bright.  NEON MELON DAY GLO BRIGHT.  I was horrified at first and was going to return it for a more subdued color, but then I realized I was just being silly and the color is now growing on me.  It is definitely a summer color!

Would I purchase it if I had to do over?  Sure I would, I’m a bells and whistles girl and this meets all the necessary requirements.  In fact, I’m such a fan I’m thinking of ordering hubby one in Teak Woodgrain.  So that would be $70 dollars for two water bottles.  I just won’t think about the cost, seriously, it’s well worth the money, I’m a huge fan.

You interested?  Here’s the click, go for it, see if you can decide which color you want. :)

Sharing the Good Stuff

 

 

Sometimes I’m a little late to the party, but thanks to the ladies of YouTube, I’m finding all sorts of things I’ve never tried before.  Case in point is this e.l.f. Smudge Brush from Target or e.l.f. online. It’s the best eyeliner brush I’ve ever used.  I was always a fan of the pricey little MAC angle brush, but this one beats it hands down.  It’s stubby, stiff, and it not only lines my eyes, but smudges and softens at the same time.  And the cost of this bad boy, $.99, yes, that’s right ninety-nine cents.  Crazy cheap, huh….

 

But I’m not finished yet.  See these baby wipes, they’re from Aldi’s and a pack of 72 costs $.85.  Yep, that’s right eighty-five cents.  You may be thinking that I’m using these to remove makeup, nope, I use baby oil on a warm washcloth for that, Martha Stewart shared that tip, but I may give these a try.  What I use them for is to clean my hands while I’m putting on makeup.  I always have foundation all over my hands, which transfers to drawers, door frames, you name it, I seem to smear it everywhere.  Sometimes I keep a wet washcloth at my makeup table, but I’m old(er), I forget and don’t want to get up and get the washcloth, so I wipe my hands on a Kleenex and that obviously doesn’t work.  But these do work, really well, and they’re in a little flexible pouch, handy dandy, right next to my makeup, unreal that they cost just a little over a penney each.  Great deals, huh...

I’m normally not this cheap, we don’t even want to discuss the pricey water bottle I’m going to buy if I can ever decide on the color, but that’s for another blog entry.  Just sharing the good stuff with you, that e.l.f. brush is so awesome and to think that I paid $32 for that MAC brush that doesn’t work nearly as well, and I bought two of them over the years.  Silly me…

I also just paid $3.50 + free shipping on eBay for a blush brush that Elle is for Living on YouTube recommended.  I’ll let you know about that if it’s a goodie.  Oh, I got another one, too, same brush they sell at Ulta, this little tip was from Hot and Flashy on YouTube, and I got it for under $5.00, too.  It's a big fluffy brush for loose powder, just waiting for both of these to arrive in the mail.  I also bought a great set of brushes for $25 to travel with, higher end than e.l.f. and they’re wonderful - I’ll tell you all about these products soon.

Here’s the link to the e.l.f. brush, I’m very surprised at all of their products, I’ve always been such a snob, thinking that you have to pay a lot of money for these things, but boy did those women ever enlighten me.  You wouldn’t think e.l.f. brushes could be good because they’re so inexpensive, but they are.  Lots and lots of videos on YouTube about e.l.f. products.  When you register, you get free shipping on your first order, you can get quite a haul for $20 with on their website.  Enjoy ~ Jan

http://www.elfcosmetics.com/p/smudge-brush

Spanish Peanuts

You know how you forget about things, I go to the store buy the samo dry roasted nuts and then last weekend I had a flashback to Spanish peanuts, redskins.  Yep, I was one of those kids who put peanuts in her Coke, ummm, make that Pepsi.  I haven’t had Spanish peanuts in years, decided to pick them up at Walmart, WRONG, then I went to Target, looked there WRONG then CVS, WRONG, so now I’m on a mission, stopped by Walgreens to buy them WRONG.  What the heck, is there a Spanish peanut shortage???

Finally found a store brand in my local market, and yep, they’re as good as I remembered.  Maybe today’s younger generation doesn’t know about these little papery morsels of goodness, there has to be a reason nobody is selling them.  Hubby and I devoured a can in no time.  So I bought more today and now I’m on a quest for a cute dispenser.  You like this little squirrel one?  Me, too, I’ll just buy it WRONG - it’s nowhere to be found online.



Yes, I know it’s really cute, REALLY cute, but I’m tellin’ ya, you can’t find them.  Now they have bunnies, valentine hearts and Christmas trees on them.   The squirrels are long gone :(

I’m really bored, too - yet another snowy day.  I was watching Pioneer Woman at lunchtime, it was summer, the grass was green, they were tailgating, a breeze was blowing, I could have just cried!
I keep reminding myself that a few years ago my neighbor’s Mary Jane Magnolia was in full bloom on March 17th.  And mother always said, “Early Easter, Early Spring” and Easter is really early this year, so here’s to hopin...

My Vitamix a year later...

An update to this pricey piece of equipment that Jan the Gadget Queen just had to have.  Was it just a flash in the pan or does it continue to be the most amazing piece of equipment ever.  Has it lived up to the hype, is the thrill gone???

Well, let me tell you, it’s not a flash in the pan, it is truly amazing and it was worth every single penny.  I use it all the time, not for smoothies, I prefer to eat my food rather than drink it, but I use it for all sorts of things, anything you would use a regular blender for, this one does it with gusto.  But my favorite thing to use it for is soup.  I make soup in it several times a week, and it’s so fast and easy, I precook raw ingredients, and then put all the ingredients in the Vitamix, set it to the soup setting, walk away, and a few minutes later it shuts itself off and I have hot, steaming soup with no effort.  That’s the key, no effort, so I tend to make more soup than I normally would.

Since we eat low carb, I make a lot of soup with vegetables and if I want it a bit chunky, I leave out a portion (I always precook my raw veggies) and pulse them in at the end.  When I first started making soup I had issues with it being foamy, but I quickly learned from the Vitamix Community to just adjust it to setting #1 and run it for a few seconds to finish it off and the foam dissipates.

I got mine at Williams Sonoma, they are less expensive now than they were a year ago, this model is now $599  instead of $750, but when I bought mine I got 20% off, so that helped.  It’s a huge decision buying a Vitamix, there are a lot of models to choose from, but since I only planned on doing this once I got the top of the line with all the presets and I’m glad I did.  It’s such a workhorse, rivaling my beloved Cuisinart DLC7 Food Processor that’s still going strong since 1978, my All-Clad Slow Cooker (a Christmas surprise a few years ago from my son, Ryan, another kindred foodie soul) and my WolfGang Puck Pressure Cooker.  I use all of these appliances multiple times weekly, they are my favorites and all are simply awesome.

I was a young bride when I bought my Cuisinart Food Processor, it was the first expensive piece of kitchen equipment I ever purchased.  It cost $175, that was a lot in 1978, but I obsessed over that food processor, and dear hubby coughed up the money and bought it for me.  I fell in love with it instantly, and still love it to this day.  I woudn’t dream of replacing it with a new model, he’s asked repeatedly if I would like a newer one, but this is the best model Cuisinart ever made and it works great, why would I want to update it?  That’s where my love of cooking and gadgets started, with that food processor and then when Silver Palate Cookbooks came out and Abby Mandel’s Cuisinart Cookbooks, that’s all it took for me to be a die hard foodie.  I’ve been obsessed with cooking and cooking gadgets ever since, and even though my way of cooking has changed dramatically since we no longer eat flour, sugar or processed foods, I still enjoy it tremendously and am always amazed at what I cook that is good for us.

So this morning hubby and I were out running errands, it’s rainy and chilly in Heavensville, perfect soup weather.  I came in the house, grabbed two cans of italian style diced tomatoes from the pantry, a block of cream cheese from the fridge, dumped them in the Vitamix, added a heaping teaspoon of sweet basil leaves, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of onion powder, and turned it on.  It took me less than sixty seconds to make soup.  Then I made grilled cheese sandwiches (using Netrition Low Carb Bread Company Bread) and I used my friend Nish’s trick, combining slices of both Swiss and American cheese, and by the time the sandwiches had grilled the soup was ready.  See what I mean, so, so easy.  And I had to give credit to my buddy V, who is a tomato soup afficiado, this woman knows her soup.  I sent her home with a quart of my tomato soup this fall, asked her how she liked it, at that time I wasn’t adding the extra basil, onion and garlic powders, and she told me that it would be a solid “10” if I just tweaked it with these ingredients.  So I did, she was right and it’s just  delicious.

If you don’t have a Vitamix, you can presoften your cream cheese in the microwave, and then simmer it with the other ingredients on the stove.  Just be sure and get the cream cheese soft ahead of time so it doesn’t clump.  You can leave it chunky, or blend it with an immersion blender, or put it in your blender to puree - It’s wonderful soup, even if you’re not a tomato soup fan, you may just change your mind.

And that’s my Vitamix Update, actually I’ve had this for a year and a half now and I’m still as excited about it as the day I got it.

Do you think you might want one?  Buy the best, you’re worth it, and it will last forever.  Mine is Candy Apple Red, because I ‘m just that kinda girl :-)

 Here’s the link so you can see it for yourself...

~ Jan ~