Getting Creative with Good Cook Lemon Keepers

Do you ever consider re-purposing household items? It can be a great way to involve kids, reuse items, and have unique items in your house.  Recently, I was challenged by Good Cook to find some unique crafts and uses for their Lemon Keepers. So, my daughter (who is extremely creative) and I put on our thinking caps and came up with a couple of fun ideas!

Idea 1:  Better than an Easter Egg Candy Keeper!

It is a little off season, but fun nonetheless! Consider making a Lemon Keeper into an adorable chick. You can then put Easter candy right inside. These can be used for your kids or can be a fantastic treat for your child to bring in for Easter school parties! My daughter was very involved in making her new feathered friend!

You will need:
Bag of craft feathers
Googly eyes
Yellow paper
Craft glue
Scissors

Instructions:
Separate the two pieces of the Lemon Keeper and work on each section separately  Cut feathers in different lengths to fit each section of the Lemon Keeper. Apply feathers with glue, using a layering technique to cover the entire plastic area. Cut a small diamond out of the paper and fold in half to create the beak. Glue beak and eyes onto the feathered top half of the Lemon Keeper. Glue extra feathers onto each side to create a winged look. Place candies inside and close the Lemon Keeper. It is now ready for gifting!

Idea 2: Cupcake Holder Party Favor

This idea was my daughter's..my future baker! She thought these would be the perfect size for a cupcake and she was right. This is a really quick and easy craft and can be personalized in any way to match your party's theme. Bella went through all of our stickers and craft paper and decorated this one herself (with minimal help from me). The ribbon was simply tied into a bow and glued on with craft glue. To get the cupcake out, you simply pull it out with a fork. This is a great way to send the party guests home with an extra treat!

Want some Produce Keepers or your own? Come back in a week to enter my Good Cook Produce Keeper Giveaway: There will be 4 winners!

I was provided with Lemon Keepers in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Copperhead Movie Ticket & Signed Poster Giveaway!

Did you know that this year marks the 150 year anniversary of the Civil War & the Battle of Gettysburg? We were all taught about the Civil War in school, but how much do we really know about the challenging stories of the brave families during the era? Mothers, fathers, and children all experienced intense hardship as family members left to fight in combat. 150 years later the timeless stories of families affected by war still remain especially pertinent. 

Commemorate the 150 year anniversary & keep your kids learning during the summer by catching Copperhead, a Civil War movie the whole family can watch together and talk about! 

About Copperhead:
From director Ron Maxwell, (Gettysburg, Gods and Generals) Copperhead is unlike any other Civil War movie. Far from the Virginia battlefield, it’s the exciting story of Abner Beech (Billy Campbell), a peace-loving but stubborn dairy farmer in upstate New York. He detests slavery, but opposes the war for the sake of the “union.” Abner is neither a Yankee nor a Rebel. He is a Copperhead. This is an extraordinary story of family and community. Learn more: http://www.copperheadthemovie.com

Check out the blog app posted below with the following features:
• Test Your Civil War Knowledge TRIVIA! - Are you a history buff? Love historical speeches, figures, and places? Transport yourself back to the time of the Copperheads and take the trivia to test your Civil War knowledge. Choose your answer before time runs out! 
• Behind-the-Scenes - Discover how director/producer Ron Maxwell and his team recreated the exact look of the Civil War era.
• Copperhead Cooking: Recipes PDF -  The family dinner table was an important central focus for every household during the Civil War. Celebrate and appreciate the era by re-creating these easy-to-follow recipes with the whole family before watching Copperhead in theaters.




Win it here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Copperhead supplied information contained in this post as well as the giveaway prize.

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Dorfman Pacific Sun Hat Review

Sponsored post*

Dorfman Pacific has been expanding the sun protection portion of its line and the 2013 Scala & Tropical Trends brand collections are the most exciting and comprehensive yet. The variety is enormous and exciting so that everyone will be tempted to discover a hat that can express their own personal style and maintain sun protection at the same time. There are many hat styles that can fold or roll up for travel or even to drop into a handbag or tote for daily use. 

The Tropical Trends (LP157) is a 4" brimmed hat with a floppy style. It is paper braid and has a self sizing tie to adjust to one's head size. It is offered in four color variations....all natural with different trim tipping the brim, including black, tea, turquoise, and fuchsia. It is light weight and bounces back into shape so it can be easily stored in a beach bag or taken on vacation.  On top of the obvious fashion benefits, it carries the UPF Sun Protection factor of 50. 

Review: I received a great Tropical Trends hat to review. I am not usually a hat person, but there are times when I am in the sun for an extended period of time when a pair of sunglasses is just not enough! We had a garage sale and it was sunny for the entire 5 hours so I was very happy that my face had extra protection. It looked really great with the sundress that I wore and it was quite comfortable. I liked the fact that you could adjust the fit but it fit perfectly as is.  It was light and airy so my head did not get too hot. I applied sunscreen over and over during these 5 hours but I still ended up with a slight burn everywhere except for my face thanks to the hat! Looks like I will be wearing this hat a lot this summer!!

Buy it here: You can purchase the Tropical Trends hat for $25 from Hartford York.

*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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Grill Mates Review and Giveaway!

Sponsored Post*

One of the tell-tale signs of spring and summer is the smell of neighborhood barbecues. We love to barbecue in warmer weather and now that the kids are older, they are craving more than just your average hot dogs and hamburgers. McCormick offers a line of Grill Mates products to help you cook up some seriously delicious meats in an incredibly affordable way.

Varieties of Grill Mates include:

• Slow & Low Tennessee Smokehouse BBQ Rub: Inspired by the taste of authentic regional barbecue, this rub offers a smoke-infused blend of garlic, onion, brown sugar, and spices ideal for seasoning a whole chicken and other cuts of chicken, pork, or beef.  ARV- $1.35 per package
• Smokin' Sweet Tea Marinade: This marinade offers the sweet indulgent taste of southern sweet tea with a smoky twist. Best with chicken breast, pork chops, and steak. ARV - $1.35 per package
• Backyard Brick Oven Seasoning Blend: This robust blend combines garlic, red pepper, oregano, and basil to bring the enticing flavor and aroma of the neighborhood pizza shop to the grill. Great for chicken  seafood pork, and grilled pizza and breads.  ARV - $2.57 per bottle
• Worcestershire Pub Burger Seasoning Blend: Take the number one grilled food - the burger - to the next level with the bold blend of Worcestershire, black pepper, and garlic. ARV - $2.57 per bottle
• Montreal Steak Grill Mates Steak Sauce: A blend of all-natural spices and herbs including coarsely ground black pepper, red pepper, dill, and coriander boosts the flavor of steak and burgers. ARV -$3.69 per bottle
• Smoky Montreal Steak Grill Mates Steak Sauce: With that "just off the grill" smokiness you crave, this all-natural sauce adds another layer of flavor to classic Montreal taste. ARV - $3.69 per bottle

Review: We had the opportunity to try the Slow & Low Tennessee BBQ Rub.  We have never slow-cooked on the grill before so this was a new experience.  The directions called for applying the rub to chicken at least 2 hours prior to grilling and then slow-cooking on an unlit side of the grill so the other lit side slowly grilled it.  The rub gave the chicken a really great and unique flavor. The blend was like nothing I have ever had before and my son, especially, loved the taste. Although you could not taste the brown sugar, I suspect that it was the magic ingredient that kept the spice from being overwhelming. The rub was easy to use and it definitely took the chicken from being plain to extremely flavorful. I would recommend using thick cuts of chicken because the slow cooking does dry it out some and thinner pieces ended up a bit dry but the thicker pieces were delicious.  It is definitely a rub we will purchase again - my son insists on it!

My husband and son love to make steaks on the grill and we were all really excited to try the two different steak sauces.  The Montreal Steak Sauce was a very high quality version of the steak sauce taste you are probably used to. It really enhanced the flavor of the meat. My favorite, though, was the Smoky Montreal Steak Sauce which tasted like a blend of steak sauce and barbecue sauce. It quickly became my favorite steak sauce of all time and I would love to use it as a marinade next time we grill.  

The three products we tasted were so delicious I can't wait to try the rest. Grill Mates are a really affordable way to get restaurant quality foods right in our backyard and I highly recommend you give them a try! 

Buy it here: You can find Grill Mates in the condiment spice aisle of your local supermarket. 

Win it here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned products in order to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Viviscal Review

*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Viviscal. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I began dating my husband when he was 18. He had chin-length thick hair and over the years I have seen it grow thinner and thinner. He does not like to talk about his hair loss and is in a little bit of denial about the hair styles that would help him minimize the attention to the thinning hair line, but I suspect it bothers him. My husband is certainly not the only man going through this.  While women are worried about sagging and wrinkling, this tends to be a cosmetic concern for many men. His best friend, for example, is so embarrassed by his bald spots that he practically shaves his head and wears a ball cap all the time. I had no idea this was why he wore a cap until his girlfriend told me!  Who knew men were as sensitive as women about the effects of aging.  

Viviscal offers products that nourishes thinning hair and promotes existing growth from within and also make thinning hair look thicker. Viviscal Man is a drug-free hair growth vitamin supplement that is clinically proven to nourish hair where it matters - from the inside.  It works by nourishing existing hair with AmnioMar, Biotin, Zinc, Vitamin C and Horsetail Extract. It is taken orally for 3-6 months.  For more immediate hair needs, there is Viviscal Hair Filler Fibers. The fillers contain microscopic, electrostatically charged  fibers which stick to the hair to create volume. You simply shake the powder onto the hair and blend for an immediate fuller look. It is available in 5 natural shades, sticks on the hair even in wind, and then easily washes out.  

Review: My husband was willing to entertain me and try out the Viviscal Hair Filler Fibers. It was extremely easy to apply. There was no odor to the powder and it was truly applied in seconds. He said he could not tell the difference, but I could and so could my camera! 

Before:

 After:

I tried to convince him that it may look even better with a shorter cut (and I really think this is true). The hair follicles looked much thicker and I thought the fibers were a close shade of blond so you could not tell anything was strange. There was a light dusting of the powder visible on his scalp and it almost looked like he had really dry skin. You could not tell unless you were really close and since he is 6"3, not may people are that close to his head!  He is  not self conscious enough to use something like this every day but it may be a great product to use if we have a wedding or other event where you need to look your best.  It is really great to have this painless and quick option! His sister is experiencing some thinning of her hair and was told by her beautician to try this product so it appears it is even beautician-recommended! I was interested to see how the Viviscal Man worked; however, he has been having frequent migraines taking anything out of the ordinary is not advisable at this time so we may try that in the future.

Buy it here: You can purchase Viviscal from the companies website and various pharmacies. Now through July, you can save 10% on Viviscal Man and Viviscal Hair Filler Fibers on Walgreens.com when you enter the code VIVISCALMAN at checkout. 

Sponsored post. 

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MyAllergyTest Review and Giveaway!

Sponsored Post*

My Allergy Test is the first and only available at-home allergy test cleared by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that allows a person, with only one tiny finger print, collect a small sample of blood to test against 10 key common allergens. Allergens tested are egg, milk, wheat, mold, dust mites, Bermuda grass, Timothy grass, cedar, ragweed, and cat. The kit comes complete with everything you need and you simply:

1. Follow the simple instructions to collect a few drops of blood with the collection kit provided (quick and easy finger prick). 
2. Mail in sample in the pre-paid and pre-addressed envelope provided in the kit (it arrives in the company's licensed laboratory for analysis). 
3. Receive your confidential and personalized results and plan via US mail or via the secure MyAllergyTest website after the lab receives the sample.

The results report will tell you which of the ten allergens, if any, you are allergic to, as well as provide a personalized report that includes links to useful products, access to the MyAllergyTest blog for helpful hints, and a physician finder to locate an allergist in your area. There are no age restrictions, though it is recommended that an adult administer the test to those that are under 18 years of age. 

Review: My son has recently been complaining of allergy symptoms so I decided to try the kit out on him. I have terrible allergies and had to go through the formal allergy testing through my Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) Specialist and it was a process I had no interest in putting my son through.  It required being injected with allergens over and over again until they could tell what I had a reaction to. This at-home kit was certainly more humane!

The kit came with two different instruments with which to prick your skin to get a blood sample. He was nervous so I used the first one to prick my own finger so I could show him what would happen. I then pricked his and I did my best to try to get the blood into the tiny vial, but his blood clotted very quickly and there was no way he was letting me prick his finger again. You are supposed to get several drops of blood, but I was only able to get two so I was expecting that the results would be inconclusive.  The process of sending the sample in for analysis was simple and I shipped it off the very next day. I loved that the kit came with everything you were going to need!

The kit instructions indicated that it would take 7-10 days to get results. However, the process was longer. I sent the sample in on 5/4/13 and contacted the PR rep on 5/20 because I still had not heard. At that time, the sample was still in the laboratory for testing. You are supposed to receive an email when the test results are ready and on 5/29 I decided to log in to see if they were posted and they were.  The report was extremely easy to follow and I was thrilled that they were actually able to analyze the small sample that I sent in. I would just recommend that the company tighten up the analyzing process, indicate that the samples can take longer than the 7-10 days promised, and make sure that the emails are sent out. It is possible that it was sent to my spam but I check it every day which makes me think that the email was not delivered or the message subject line was so obscure that I assumed it was junk.  Regardless of these issues, I will still choose a kit like this when there are suspected allergies over a full allergy test any day!

Buy it here: My Allergy Test is available over-the-counter in the pharmacy's diagnostic test section at major retailers and drugstores across the US. It retails for $49.95 and is covered under Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts. 

Win it here: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*I was provided with the above mentioned product in order to facilitate with this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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QVC Mr. Bar-B-Q Grill Set Review

Father's Day Gift Idea!

My mom's fiance is obsessed with QVC and my mom has been known to shop there quite a bit as well. Whenever they have an item that is really unique or nice I am still shocked when they tell me they get it from QVC.  I was used to seeing my mom watch the channel when I was younger and am pretty impressed that QVC products are now available easily through their website. 

They have a really great selection of gift ideas for Father's Day to include the Mr. Bar-B-Q 18-Piece Plastic Finger Grip Grill Set with Case. The stainless set provides all the accessories you will need for a great barbecue. It includes a 4-in-1 spatula, tongs, fork, knife, basting brush, four skewers, either corn holders, and a plastic carrying case.  

Review: We frequently barbecue in the summer and our last set had a few missing/broken pieces so I was looking forward to having a new set and having it all self-contained in a carrying case is a real bonus.  The set comes with just about everything I would expect with some extras like the corn holders. The quality of the pieces were pretty comparable to other sets we have owned though the spatula was slightly bent out of shape. This did not, however, interfere with the functionality. 

The carrying case was nice and sturdy and it was about as compact as possible which makes it optimal for storage.  My husband does the grilling and uses the tongs a lot. They have worked quite well and we were satisfied enough with the set to toss the remaining pieces of our old set and enjoy this nice, new one. 

Buy it here: This grill set is available for $44.95 through QVC's website.

I was provided with the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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