Justice Yoyo Lip Gloss Review and Giveaway!

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How many times have you dug through your purse for an unspeakable about of time to find your lip products? For me, it was an every day occurrence and I cannot stand wasting time.  Now that my daughter is getting a little older, she has been carrying lip glosses and she often loses hers as well.  YOYO Lip Gloss has come to the rescue! The lip gloss is attached to a retractable color coordinated clip that can attach to anything you can imagine to include your belt, pocket, or school bag.Their newest line of products are  Justice YOYO Initial Retractable Lip Glosses that are only available at Justice stores. To make they extra special and fashionable, their clip is decorated in bright rhinestones and an initial!

The lip glosses are available in 17 different initial letters (and a peace sign if you have an uncommon initial) and 3 different color and flavor variations: Cotton candy (turquoise), Bubblegum (light pink), and Grape (purple).  The formula used is  soft and non-sticky that is comparable to a high grade lip gloss.  In addition, they are interchangeable. For example, you can connect your blue gloss to your purple YOYO real for a more unique look!

Justice YOYO Lip Gloss Review:   I received a bubblegum gloss. The clip is absolutely adorable with the colorful "J" ! The clip feature is really great and these look really cute  adorable pinned to a backpack. The gloss squeezes easily onto the lips and produces a nice shine. I really loved both the smell and taste. Since it is a gloss, it does lay on fairly thick; however, they were not sticky like some other lip gloss. This is seriously an adorable lip gloss and as I am planning my daughter's birthday I realized that these would be adorable party favors. Just think of how excited the guests would be to receive not only lip gloss, but lip gloss with their initial!

Connect with YOYO: YOYO fans and followers are automatically entered to win weekly prizes so connect here!
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/yoyolipgloss
Twitter: http://twitter.com/yoyolipgloss
Google+1: http://www.yoyolipgloss.com
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/yoyolipgloss

Buy it here: Justice YOYO Initial Retractable Lip Glosses are available exclusively through Justice stores and Justice online.

Justice YOYO Lip Gloss Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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4th of July Peanut Buster Parfait Recipe

This week is the 4th of July which means fireworks, picnics, and DESSERTS!  Enjoy this recipe - it is amazing!!

Peanut Buster Parfait Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups peanuts

1 cup flour

1 stick butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

3 cups cold milk

1 cup powdered sugar

8oz cream cheese

6 cups whipped cream

2 packages chocolate pudding

2 medium Hershey bars

First layer: Mix 2/3 cups peanuts, flour, and stick of butter in a food processor until crumbly. Press mix evenly in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool.

Second layer: Cream peanut butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 3 cups whipped cream in food processor until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

Third layer: Mix pudding and milk until thickens and add layer.

Fourth layer: Add remaining whipped cream.

Fifth layer: Mix Hershey bars with 3/4 cup peanuts with steel blade in food processor until fine. 

Best if made 1 day ahead - refrigerate

Enjoy!

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twistedsista Review

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Salon-inspired hair care line twistedsista has introduced a new collection, hair+scalp FIX, featuring eight treatment-oriented produce that rescue damaged hair. The unique strength and repair complex contains super active formulas to control and define curls, smooth and add shine, and nourish weak, dull, and aging hair. Ingredients include Keratin to strengthen and reduce breakage, Macadamia Oil to thicken, condition and nourish, Baobab Oil to maintain hair health and enhance shine, plus UV Protection to shield against environmental stress and damage. 

The Rescue Me Strengthen &Repair Kit was created for a fast and easy way to replenish Keratin levels and restore elasticity to your hair, leaving it smooth and glossy. The kit contains:

• Super Strengthening Shampoo - formulated with Keratin to deliver TLC to vulnerable hair. Regular use can help protect and repair and helps reduce breakage.
• Super Strengthening Conditioner - formulated with Keratin to moisturize and restore elasticity. Regular use can help reduce breakage, add strength, shine, and vibrancy.
• Rescue Me Serum - Can be used on wet or dry hair for some instant shine.
• Deeper Love Moisture Mask - Formulated to rehydrate and moisturize lack luster locks. 

twistedsista Review:  I recently got some length taken off of my hair but I was growing my super long for my mother's wedding. I was able to achieve the length I wanted but my hair was quite damaged and was beginning to look pretty dull.  Both my daughter and I used to the Rescue Me Strengthen & Repair Kit before the wedding to get our hair ready for the big event. After just one use, I could feel and see a difference in my hair.  My hair felt silky smooth and had an amazing shine to it. It looked healthier after just one use and the continued use of the products made it even healthier looking.  The directions were very easy to follow and the products rinsed easily from my hair. I wasn't a huge fan of the smell, however.  It reminded me of the strong chemical smell from a salon but I can deal with the smell for great looking locks.  Considering the effects, the kit is very reasonably priced at just $17.99. I have seen other Keratin products sell for double or triple that price!

My hair after just one use!

Connect here:
Online: [www.twistedsista.com]
Facebook: [UrbanTherapyTwistedSista]
Twitter: [@twistedsista_ut]
YouTube: [TwistedSistaUSA]  

        I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Geritol Review and Geritol/New Balance Gift Card Giveaway

As a trusted multivitamin for men and women since 1952, Geritol Multivitamins still contain all essential vitamins and minerals in one tablet and are specially formulated with just the right vitamins in just the right amounts so you can feel your best with less concern about vitamin mega-dosing.

Geritol Multivitamin contains:

• Immune system support - from antioxidants
• Energy support - from essential B-vitamins
• Bone health support - from vitamin D

Many multivitamins exceed recommended daily allowances with the "more is better" approach, but Geritol maintains that a well-balanced multivitamin can be safer for your health and better tolerated. One Geritol vitamin has a well-balanced formula with close to 100% recommended daily allowance of the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamins B1, B2, B6, & B12
• Niacin
• Folic Acid

Geritol Crossword Puzzle: Can you find the 26 reasons to take Geritol Miltivitamin?

• Heart
•  Motivation
•  Commitment
• Antioxidant
•  Complete
• Walking
•  Vitality
•  Energy
• Vitamins
•  Trusted
•  Minerals
• Essential
• Hundred
• Feel
•  Best
• Bone
• Immune
• Support
•  Geritol
• Healthy
• Diet
• Daily
• Start

Review:  I have been taking multivitamins for years and although I can't see all the positive effects, I feel so much better physically when I do take them.  The Geritol pill is a bit smaller than some of the other vitamins I have taken which I really appreciate because I have enough "horse pills" I already have to take every day.  I took one Geritol vitamin every day for the past 2 weeks and felt that is absolutely compared to my normal brand as far as keeping me energized (I feel really sluggish without a multivitamin) .  The only thing that threw me off was the name. When I hear "Geri", I think geriatric and really thought this vitamin was for older individuals. Rest assured, it is for all adults and I appreciate the fact that there is a nice balance of all the different vitamins. I would have no problems switching brands!

Buy it here: Geritol is located in the vitamin section at major retailers and drugstores across the U.S., including Walgreens, Walmart, and Meijer. A 100-count bottle is available for a suggested retail price of $11.99.

Win it here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with the above mentioned sample for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my won.

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Dial Sweepstakes Offer, Review, and Giveaway!

Sponsored post*

To commemorate the Dial brand's 65th anniversary, Dial is giving away $65,000 in gold to one lucky winner!!! What's more, every day through August 19th 65 daily winners will receive a year's supply of Dial Body Wash! You can enter once a day to increase your chances of winning as well as share the sweepstakes through social media sites to receive an exclusive Dial coupon.  Enter here!!

Dial Body Wash Review:  I recently switched from soap to body wash after trying our Dial's Coconut Water body wash so I was looking forward to trying another scent. Lavendar is one of my favorite scents so the Lavendar & Twilight Jasmine immediately appealed to me. I really loved this body wash and found it to be very nourishing. I have eczema and found that it did not generally aggravate my skin unless I had a patch of eczema.  Aside from these patches which require special soap, my skin felt clean and hydrated. The smell is great and since I shower at night, it was the perfect combination to help calm me and ready me for bedtime. It suds up easily and I found that a little bit went a long way.  My kids and husband also liked it so the whole family agrees that this product is a winner!

Dial Body Wash Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Purex provided me with the Dial coupons in exchange for sharing the Dial sweepstakes. However, all the options expressed are my own.

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Werther's Original Sugar-Free Review and Werther's +Amex Gift Card Giveaway

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Wouldn't life be a little grander if you could always satisfy your sweet tooth without all the sugar? Thanks to Werther's Original Sugar Free, you can! Their creamy caramels have all the rich tastes people crave but often can't enjoy in sugar-free candy options.  Every piece of Werther's Original candy is crafted with their 100-year-old caramel making tradition in mind, using real butter and fresh cream for a rich, smooth taste.

Werthers recently surveyed 1,000 adult diabetics and found:

• 1/3 said changing their diet had been the most difficult lifestyle change
• 66% said avoiding sugary treats is difficult
• Less than half found sugar free candy to be enjoyable; however, 78% of those who had purchased Werther's Original Sugar Free found sugar free hard candies enjoyable

Most of my husband's family has diabetes and they share in these struggles.  My father-in-law loves Werther's sugar-free candies and they are a smart choice. Their caramels are made with the sugar alternative Isomalt and the sweetener Acesulfame-K. Each piece has 3g carbs and 8 calories - 40% fewer calories than Werther's Original caramels. The Sugar-Free candies are available in four flavors: Classic Caramel, Caramel Apple, Caramel Coffee, and Caramel Cinnamon.

Werther's Original Sugar Free Review:  You would have thought it was Christmas morning in my house when I opened up our samples. My kids have been enjoying Werther's Original candies at their grandparents' house and they were so thrilled that we had our own stock of "caramels".  I was very impressed with the taste - there was NO indication that these were sugar-free (aside, of course, from the packaging).  The Classic Caramel tasted just  like the name - a classic caramel taste - in a hard candy form.  I really liked the Caramel Apple as well and both flavors were equally present in the candy and it made for a truly enjoyable experience. My children and I do not like the taste of cinnamon in candies so we did not like the Caramel Cinnamon but my husband really enjoyed the more potent taste of this variety. I usually do not enjoy coffee flavored products but the Caramel Coffee candy was outstanding! I usually put flavored creamers in my coffee and this little candy tasted very similar and was almost enjoyable as my morning cup of coffee. My son who has been begging me to drink coffee for years (he is only 9 so he has a long way before I allow that!) instantly fell in love with this variety.  Overall, we loved these Werther's Original Sugar Free candies and I have a feeling we will have a constant supply in our house. Since they are Sugar Free, I don't mind at all!

Buy Werther's Original Sugar Free: These candies are available exclusively at Walmart.

Win Werther's Original Sugar Free:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Travel with Office 365 Home Premium & One Note - Review

When I go on vacation, I don't want to worry about anything which is why I get a little obsessive about planning my vacation. Seriously, I  make reservations for excursions and have everything taken care of ahead of time so there is no wasted time when we are out of town. The planning, however, can be a bit stressful and overwhelming and I had not figured out the perfect organization system when I was contacted to try out OneNote 2013.

Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium is a new subscription service that delivers the latest and greatest Office applications and features to include a travel planning program within OneNote. OneNote is a digital note-taking tool that helps you store and organize all your ideas, from written and audio notes to photos and screen captures from the web. Plus, One Note Mobile given you instant access on SkyDrive.

Five ways OneNote can help you with your travel plans:

1. Reference your notes: Once all your research and planning details are in OneNote, it is easy to recall a particular detail at any given moment. You can use the instant search application to recall anything you have ever put in OneNote.
2. Turn online research into plans: Clip and save information with the "Send to OneNote" tool. As you make reservations, clip screensots and send web pages or entire documents directly to sections of your notebook, no printer needed! You can also scan into OneNote critical information you may need for your trip, such as passports, medication labels or immunazation records.
3. Move with your notes on-the-go: Save your notebook to SkyDrive and access it on your mobile phone of in the browser with the OneNote Web App. Once in the cloud, you'll be able to access your information across your favorite devices.
4. Let Excel & OneNote work together for you: With OneNote 2013, you can create and imporrt Excell budget spreadsheets right into your notebook. What's better is that when you edit that spreadhseet in OneNote, it will update the original Excell spreadsheet at the same time.
5. Collaborate with family and friends via SkyDrive: Give your friends and family access to your travel notebook on SkyDrive so they can add their own travel tips and advice and keep track of your itinerary.

OneNote Review:We are going to Boston this year and I have been feeling a little more overwhelmed with planning because we won't have a car and will be reliant on their public transportation system. This requires a lot more planning that I am used to and I have started a large paper notebook full of reservation information, travel plans, and more. However, I did not want to tote around this large notebook so the thought of having all the information on a mobile device was very intriguing.

The program is fairly easy to use, though I have had to play around with it quite a bit and am sure there are many more features that I have yet to discover. It is a wonderful way to save all the information in one area. With just a couple clicks, I was able to import my reservation information right into the program. I can set an agenda for each day, save screen shots of public transportation schedules, and information about all the landmarks we plan on visiting. The program screens are very attractive as well. You can use the templates that are already designed but there is also a lot of freedom to add, delete, or customize features within the program. It has everything I would have in a paper itinerary, but in a more functional format.

My only concern is the Microsoft account in general. The program would really be priceless if I could use it on my iPad; however, when I try to sign in to Microsoft so I can set it up I get a message that my email does not exist in their system and when I try to set up a new account, it says my email is already in use...very frustrating!! I have very little patience for things like this and don't know if I will get that sorted out before just giving up.  If I can't get this straightened out, I am not sure how much I will use this particular program because it won't do me much good if I can't access it while in Boston.  If I can get it sorted out, this program may just be my new best friend.

Buy it here: OneNote 2013 is available for free with a Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium subscription. The subscription is available for $99.99 per year. A free 30-day trial is available online at Office.com.  

I was provided with the above mentioned service for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Lucky Leaf Review, Trifle Recipe, and Giveaway!

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Lucky Leaf got their start by selling fresh applesauce, but soon began making ready-to-use pie filling when American women became busy with more than just housewife duties! Today, they offer a wide selection of ready-to-use pie fillings including Premium Cherry, Apple, Peach, Blueberry, Lemon, Red Raspberry, Lite, and Crème. I love working with Lucky Leaf and trying out their fabulous recipes.

Recipe: No-Bake Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Trifles

Main ingredients:

1 10.75-ounce frozen pound cake, thawed slightly and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

18 ounces fresh blueberries

1 lemon

Graham cracker streusel:

9  cinnamon graham crackers, crushed

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup finely clopped almonds

1 generous pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

No-bake lemon cheesecake filling:

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1&1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1&1/2 cup Lucky Leaf Premium Lemon Pie Filling

Instructions:

To make the graham cracker streusel, toss all ingredients in a medium bowl until the butter is evenly distributed.

To make cheesecake mixture, beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gently fold in the frozen whipped topping and Lucky Leaf Pie Filling until evenly combined.

Layer the graham cracker streusel, blueberries, lemon cheesecake mixture, and pound cake cubes in a medium mason jar until filled. Repeat with remaining jars and garnish with frozen whipped topping and a lemon slice.  

Results:  This dessert was almost as much fun to make as it was to eat. My kids were so thrilled that they were each given their own personal trifle.  Plus, it tasted AMAZING! The tartness of the lemon was countered with the sweet, fresh blueberries and cream cheese. The various textures of the dessert was also very enjoyable. There was definitely more than one serving in each jar. My kids were able to eat about 1/3 of their jar and I only got through half which means we have dessert tomorrow! In addition, there was enough of the ingredients to make additional trifles - probably 2-3 more so we will have these delicious treats on hand for awhile!  The recipe has already made its way to my recipe book and I am sure we will enjoy these again and again. 

Lucky Leaf Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this post. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Flirty Apron Deal + Charitable Initiative

Affiliate

Flirty Aprons will be running a great promotion from June 25th through the 27th. For every apron sold, they will be donating $5.00 to Adler to go towards his medical bills. Adler, only 7 years old, was diagnosed with a rare form of Kidney cancer in March 2013. With one kidney removed already he is undergoing extensive radiation and chemotherapy. This is extremely expensive and the family has no medical insurance, so Flirty Aprons is helping them with this fundraiser. Together we can give Adlers family some peace of mind in this trying time.
 
As a bonus, Flirty Aprons is also extending a 35% off coupon to you!! Use the code ADLER at check out. Shop now.

 

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Brillo Review & How To Clean Your Grill

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Brillo products are not just for cleaning cookware and may be your new favorite cleaning product if you spend time grilling. Several options from Brillo, including their signature Brillo Steel Wool Soap Pads, the new Brillo Heavy Duty Soap Pads, or the Brillo Heavy Duty Scour Pads can help cut through the built up grease and grime and make cleaning your grill fast and easy.  Since leftover food particles on the cooking surface are a breeding ground for bacteria and can make people sick, it is really important to have a clean grill. 

How to Clean Your Grill
1. Remove cooking grates from grill and scrub with warm water and a Brillo Steel Wool Soap Pad or Heavy Duty Scour Pad.
2. For cooked-on, hard-to-clean surfaces turn Brillo sideways and scrub across the grain of the pad
3. If it's a charcoal grill, remove the coal grate and brush out the insides
4. For gas grills remove briquettes, lava rocks, or metal flame shield to expose burner. Clean ash and residue from around burner, be sure burner is in place when finished cleaning
5. Rinse grates, reassemble grill, and allow to air dry 
6. For coated grill exteriors and more delicate surfaces use Brillo Estracell No Scratch Sponge with Wedge Edge

Brillo Review: My husband does all the grilling. Really, I do not even know how to turn it on. So, when I went to clean it I was aghast at how filthy it was. Seriously, hubby, you have been putting food on this?!!

After I got over the initial shock and disgust, I went to work cleaning the grates with Brillo Heavy Duty Soap Pads. After soaking them in hot water, it still took some serious scrubbing but the Brillo pads did a nice job of getting what was probably a few seasons of gunk off the grates. The steel wool was the perfect material for scrubbing these babies - a lesser sponge would have crumbled - literally. The wool would catch the burnt on grease and rub it right off and the areas that were not completely charred came so clean that I was reminded the grates are supposed to be silver - not black! The one on the right pictured below was scrubbed while the untouched one on the left is a nice reminder of why you need to clean your grill! By the way, I was kind of diggin' the retro-look of the Brillo soap pads box!

I was also given some Estracell sponges to try out. We have been using the yellow and green Heavy Duty sponges since we moved into this house. They are perfect for doing dishes and work great for doing spot clean ups on the counter. There is a tougher green side for when you need to scrub and a softer yellow side perfect for wiping. They hold up quite well and we tend to get at least a month's use out of each sponge. After a week or so, I tend to run the sponge through the dishwasher to avoid bacteria build-up.  The Estracell No Scratch Sponges worked great for more heavy duty cleaning. There were two kitchen sponges and one bathroom sponge per pack. I loved the color differences - as long as you can remember that purple is bathroom you won't accidentally use your bathroom one in the kitchen...yuck! They also had a softer side and tougher side and did a great job cleaning all of my kitchen and bathroom surfaces. 

Buy it here: You can purchase Brillo products at your local mass merchant.

*I was provided with the above mentioned products for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Bella Cupcake Couture Review + Fourth of July Cupcakes

Bella Cupcake Couture offers stylish cupcake wrappers to hid the crinkly, less-than-attractive, translucent paper they are baked in. The cupcake wrappers help dress up any cupcake - what a simple way to get festive! The best part - anyone can use them and you don't have to be a professional to have amazing, professional-looking cupcakes.  They offer a huge assortment of styles, to include some great patriotic wrappers perfect for the upcoming holiday. 

Bella Cupcake Couture assigned me a challenge: create a cupcake that would be perfect for the 4th of July festivities and create a display to show you how easy it is to WOW your holiday guests. Challenge accepted! I received some adorable red, white, and blue wrappers and decided it would be fun to make firework-themed cupcakes.  

To decorate these cupcakes, you will need some red, white, and blue buttercream in decorating bags with Tip 233 (grass tip).  Beginning on the outside of the cupcake, place the tip with a bag of blue icing on the cake, squeeze lightly and pull toward the edge of the cupcake before stopping.  Go around the outside completely, move in a bit toward the center and go around again, overlapping the layers. Repeat the sequence with the white and red icing until cupcake is completely covered through to the center.  

I also made some classic swirled cupcakes with blue frosting and red and white sprinkles. To finish the look, I put them in the Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers and topped some with some miniature pinwheels I found for $1 at the craft store. I made some red and blue confetti out of scrap paper and a hole punch, place my Americana basket on the table with silverware, topped my table with a white tablecloth, and threw on a couple of balloons for an instant patriotic theme! 

The cupcakes by themselves were cute, but the Bella Cupcake Couture wrapper really made them extraordinary.  I loved the vibrant colors and the wrapper went on with ease. Rather than spending hours decorating, you could even use the simplest icing decorating techniques and slap these wrappers on for an amazing look. The wrappers are adjustable so they fit perfectly to your cupcakes regardless of the size. 

Buy it here: You can purchase cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture's 
website.

*Disclaimer:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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How to Make a Cupcake Wedding Dress

My mom is getting married tomorrow so I made this cupcake wedding dress for the rehearsal dinner. Here is how I made them:

Step 1: Bake 27 cupcakes in white liners. You can use any recipe or box mix. I used a white cake mix. Allow to cool completely.

Step 2. Make filling. In this case, I used a strawberry filling:

Recipe: Chunky Strawberry Filling


Ingredients:
1 pound frozen whole strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch

Directions:
Thaw frozen strawberries and keep liquid. Place strawberries with liquid in saucepan and, using kitchen scissors, cut into small chunks. Mix sugar and corn starch together and pour over strawberries. Heat until bubbling - stirring constantly. Biol about 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Step 3: Use a cupcake corer to get them ready for filling.  There are multiple ways you can fill a cupcake, but I have found that using a decorating bag with the end clipped off is the easiest. Tip: to get the filling in the bag with minimal mess place the bag in a cup and turn the sides out.  

Step 4: Fill the cupcakes and place them on a cake board in the following pattern:

Step 5: Make icings: buttercream & fondant. For this cake, I used  Duff fondant (review will be coming up next month) rather than making it from scratch. You can color the fondant the wedding color for an extra special touch. (Check out my fondant tips if you are new to this kind of icing). Put the buttercream in a decorating bag with attachment 2D.

Step 6:  Beginning at the middle of each cupcake, squeeze icing out in a circular pattern over and over , swirling until you get a little over the edge of the cupcake. It is important to put on more than you would if it were a normal cupcake because you don't want any gaps. Overlapping is key!

Step 7: There will inevitably be some small gaps. Make a star with the same 2D tip in these gaps by simply squeezing then releasing the icing:

Step 8: Add some extra glam by using clear sprinkles. 

Step 9: Roll the colored fondant and cut out two straight parallel lines to make a ribbon belt for the dress. Make sure you have enough to drape down over the cupcake liners on the side.   You can always trim the ends so extra is always better. Place it over the line with two cupcakes.

Step 10: Using tip 2, make a straight line across the fondant. Using tip 4, make small circles to look like pearls by simply dotting the line you just made every centimeter or so. If the frosting is sticking up, simply put the cupcakes in the refrigerator and allow the frosting to thicken. You can then gently pat each of the pearls down it your finger. 

All done! I will be off line for the next couple of days so I can enjoy the wedding. 

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JOLLY TIME Pop Corn Review & Giveaway

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JOLLY TIME offers a new selection of Butter and Butter Light Microwave Pop Corn made with Smart Balance. They contain zero grams of trans fat and no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils which makes this a heart-healthy snack!  The Smart Balance blend, licensed exclusively in the category for use in JOLLY TIME Popcorn products, contains a unique combination of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats. It is a gluten free snack and provides an easy way to add whole grains into your diet.

When used as part of a Smart Balance Food Plan - which recommends a diet with no more than 30% of calories from total fat, no more than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and low cholesterol - this blend can support healthy cholesterol levels already within the normal range. The Smart Balance Food Plan provides the following nutritional criteria: (1) At least 2/3 of fat must come from balanced fat products or this Food Plan, (2) Limit total fat to about 30% of calories (65g per day), (3) Limit saturated fat to 10% of calories (20g per day), (4) Limit dietary cholesterol to average 300mg or less per day, (5) Avoid trans fat, and (6) Exercise regularly.

JOLLY TIME Pop Corn Review:  My kids and I love to curl up on Saturday nights for our weekly "Scary Movie Night". It is a special tradition we recently started and no movie night is complete without popcorn!  Since we are trying, as a family, to be healthier I was really glad to hear there is a healthier option from JOLLY TIME.  I really liked the Butter Light flavor we received.  I have a suspected problem with my gall bladder so I have to be really careful with eating greasy foods and this variety had just enough butter to taste amazing yet did not aggravate my stomach at all. My son was not happy with the taste because he likes really buttery popcorn so his favorite of the two was the Butter. It had the same high quality popcorn as the Butter Light, but was heavier on his favorite ingredient. My daughter was thrilled with both varieties and I feel much better giving them an pop corn that is lower in fat and calories than other brands we have tried.  Looks like Saturdays are now "Scary Movie and JOLLY TIME Nights!"

Nurture a Healthier Lifestyle Campaign: Join JOLLY Time Pop Corn and Smart Balance over the next month of a quest to nurture healthier lifestyles through exercise, rest, diet and community.  Like JOLLY TIME's Facebook page and enter each week for a chance to win a fun and healthful prize pack or one of 75 FREE coupons!

JOLLY TIME Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclaimer:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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DDP Yoga Review

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About 6 months ago I watched a YouTube video about a man who had such severe back and knee problems due to his military service that he was unable to walk without numerous braces and crutches.  He was extremely overweight and most people would fall into despair if they had to live this type of life. However, this man discovered DDP Yoga and it completely changed his life.  Watch his amazing transformation in the video below:



What is DDP Yoga? DDP Yoga was developed by former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. He suffered numerous injuries during his wrestling career and began using workout techniques that would allow him to maintain his incredible physique without causing him pain. DDP Yoga is a hybrid workout that incorporates yoga positions with calisthenics, rehabilitation techniques, dynamic resistance, and breathing techniques for a more challenging and results-oriented workout - all with zero impact.  Dynamic Resistance, any exercise in which a muscular contraction is made without requiring any weights or equipment, is the key to DDP Yoga.

DDP Yoga has the following benefits:

• Body fat loss
• Increased flexibility
• Improved cardio levels
• Pain reduction from previous injuries
• Lean muscle growth
• Core strength
• Reduced joint stress
• Decreased likelihood of future injury

DDP Yoga Review: I have been doing yoga off and on for years and really got serious about doing it a few months ago when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Yoga has really helped increase my energy and decrease pain.  Since I frequently watch the Arthur video embedded above, I was so excited to get the opportunity to try this program myself.  The kit included a book, four discs with multiple workouts on each disc, and a fold-out poster with the core DDP poses.

The workouts are like nothing I have ever tried before. Usually when I try workouts that are not pure yoga, I feel like I am going to drop over dead by the end. DDP Yoga has you working out at a target heart rate so you never feel like you are over doing it. The combination of the stretching with the dynamic resistance is genius  After doing just one rep of each of the "Diamond Dozen" exercise on the instructional video I could already feel the results the next day! I am able to really work my muscles and I feel fantastic after doing the workouts. 

The booklet that came with the program also has a recommended diet that encourages a balance of food groups to maximize energy and help you lose weight. The first day I packed my lunch following this plan my husband was aghast at how much food I was taking to work for just one day.  There is more food then I would typically eat in a day; however, the combination burns off fast!

I have been using DDP Yoga for 2 weeks and I have already lost 3 pounds! My posture is better and my overall pain level is well controlled.  My 9-year-old son has also been doing the videos with me and really enjoys it. I will continue to use DDP Yoga and look forward to continued weight loss, pain reduction, and muscle toning.  I give it very rarely, but this program truly gets my Seal of Approval!

Buy it here: You can purchase DDP Yoga products from their website. Although it may seem like a hefty price, I would recommend the Combo Pack for $99.99. This is the one I reviewed and it is worth every penny. Just think of the money you would save not needing a gym membership!

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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