Thursday, October 29, 2015

Awesome Life Friday #41

3 comments:
Welcome!  We're so looking forward to seeing what you've been cooking, creating, growing, decorating, reviewing, giving away, and thinking about this week!

My daughter and her family are currently visiting us here in DC for a couple weeks before heading off to their new duty station in Germany, so I'm very much enjoying spending time with the family and getting reaquainted with my grandkids.  The time is passing so rapidly, although we've been letting RCH slide a bit to make more time for 'real life'.

Also, you may have noticed that we've begun co-hosting another link up - Party in Your PJs!  It will be starting on Tuesday evenings, and running through Saturday.  I hope you'll join us there as well!

This is what else we've been up to:



We hope you'll check these out if you haven't already!  Don't forget to peek at the sidebar and check out what other giveaways we currently have going.

~~~

And now our favorite part - the FEATURES!  If you're one of our featured posts, we'd love it if you'd grab a button, and thanks to all of you who shared with us last week!

If you are one of our FEATURED bloggers, this button is for you!




 
Thank you all so much for sharing your awesomeness!

Are you all ready to party?  If you like, we'd love it you'd help spread the word by grabbing our button:






Here we go!


Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Review: Fuzzy Hippo Personalized Products

6 comments:

We currently live in a Pinterest world, right? We are surrounded by an abundance of cute photo ideas and ways to decorate our home. Today, I'm reviewing a company that can help with that, even if you're not up for a lot of DIY.

Fuzzy Hippo is a small business created to offer you the perfect present. Fuzzy Hippo focuses on two things- great quality at an affordable price. Everything is printed in Hampshire, UK.

The mailman delivered my box, and inside the cute packaging we discovered a personalized pillow and toddler shirt from Fuzzy Hippo. Right away the shirt was put into the wash and the pillow had found a home.


We enjoy documenting our sons growth through photos. The Fiji Toddler shirt was personalized for our son with his name and age. It was the perfect shirt for his most recent photos. We even had a little piece of island life on it for our Hawaii born baby.

The shirt and pictures turned out so cute you can’t even tell he insisted on wearing rain boots in the desert. We’ve washed and worn the shirt many times now and it’s holding up great! The shirt is soft and comfy against our child’s skin

The shirt we received was the RWC Fiji Baby & Toddler T-Shirt that retails for $12 with ocean blue personalization.  There are a wide variety of other shirt options, including holiday options. They are available from infant sizes to 3-4 years old and retail from $11-12 plus shipping. Shoppwea have 4 choices for printing color: Ocean Blue, Red, Baby Pink and Black.

Fuzzy Hippo recommends washing at 40°C.  Do not tumble dry and wash dark colors separately.


We also received the Natural Canvas Cushion Rugby World Cup - Fiji that retails for $24. The decorative pillow is 45 x 45cm. There is a hidden zipper if you need to access the cushion. Washing this product is not recommended. This cloth has undergone no bleaching or dying, so will shrink if washed. They do offer a cotton cushion that can be hand washed.

This personalized pillow was a great addition to our minimalist home. If we bring something new into our house we really want it to enjoy it. The canvas color matches our style with our little piece of paradise on it. We’ve found the pillow fits nicely on our couch or on the bed. It can also be a great meditation pillow. I just had the idea that what a great reminder it would be to see a pillow say “Reserved For Meditation”. We may need to order one now!











3 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

24 comments:

If you're tired of using jarred sauces, and want to make a simple homecooked meal, try this 3 ingredient Alfredo sauce. My family loves it and I honestly will not be going back to store brands - there is just no reason for all those extra ingredients when the real thing is so simple. Whether you use it for Steak Alfredo, Chicken or Shrimp, this recipe is awesome!


3-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce


Ingredients:

1 cup Heavy Cream
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 1/4 cups Parmesan Cheese

Start by melting your butter in a large sauce pan. (Medium to high heat)
Then add 1 cup of the heavy cream. Wait until it comes to a simmer. This is to make the cream warm, so the cheese does not harden.


Add the cheese and stir, stir, and don't stop stirring until the cheese is melted. The total amount of time should be around 5 to 7 minutes.


Then add salt and pepper to taste and Tadaa you are done!

This time we used this over shrimp and noodles. Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Party in Your PJs #79

3 comments:
Welcome to Party in Your PJs!

Happy Tuesday!  Reviews, Chews & How-Tos has joined the Party in Your PJs Link Party - your posts will now be seen on five different blogs each week.   In addition to Kim from The Cookie Puzzle and Bree from bumblebreeblog, you'll also find Party in Your PJs every Tuesday evening at Grandma Ideas, Wood of Bell Trees and... here!

You'll still find the Awesome Life Friday link up every Thursday evening at 8pm ET so we hope to see you there as well.

Are you ready to party? I can't wait to see what you've brought to share!



Bree @ bumblebreeblog

Bree explores the possibilities offered by new and recycled materials to create solutions for decorating, the holidays, and gift giving that combine thoughtful inspiration with myriad materials and careful planning to create excellent projects. In addition to crafting, BumbleBreeBlog includes craft and blog related lifestyle advice ranging from wedding vendors to blog tips, and every bit of inspiration along the way. Bree Inspired!

Kim @ The Cookie Puzzle 

Kim is a small town girl who love simple things. Simple cookies, simple crafts and simple people. She is a wife, mother to one son and two adorable fur babies. Slightly addicted to reality TV and sitcoms, but she loves curling up with a good book or a good walk while listening to podcasts. You can find her at The Cookie Puzzle, where she shares her love for cookies and crafting. 
  

Nina @ Grandma Ideas

How is this: Nina is wildly in love with her grandchildren. She delights in doing activities with them that strengthen their relationship –- playing games, doing crafts, snuggling, reading stories to them, and cooking together. She enjoys reading, technology, and traveling. (Tahiti is her most favorite place on earth!)

Lynda @ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos 

Lynda lives outside DC with her husband Michael and elderly beagle, Sadie. She and her daughter Jackie started RCHReviews as a way to spend time together in spite of living across country, and along the way they've added several friends as regular contributors. Between them all, they bring together many different perspectives and lifestyles with one common philosophy - try new things, have fun, and remember you are awesome!

 

 Heather @ Wood of Bell Trees

Heather is a wife of a peanut butter fanatic and mom of one silly human and one furry canine, wrangling life on 2nd shift and glitterizing everything as she goes!









The rules for the group board include:
1. Limit of one pin a day.
2. Just like the party anything goes, but clear wonderful pictures with great descriptions are most successful.
3. Please no Spam ( Spammers will be deleted without warning)
4.  If you pin to the Pinterest Board, please link to the Party in Your PJs Party also, the party runs from 7 pm Tuesdays-Midnight Saturday (Central Time)
5.  Finally have fun and share this group board  with blog friends and followers!  The more success the group board is the more success you will see from your pins.

Want to be added to the group board?  Follow our Party in Your PJs board and comment on this post with your Pinterest name or email Bree at bumblebreeblog@gmail.com or Kim at thecookiepuzzle@gmail.com

 

Features from Last Weeks Party!

I am in the middle of a long-anticipated family visit this week, and I'm afraid I didn't get around to picking features this week - I'll select a couple from this week's as well as next weeks and post them next time!

Make sure you head over to the other member of Party in Your PJs to see their features, we each pick our own features.

All links are pinned to a Party Board...you can follow the board on Pinterest...feel free to follow the board, there is lots of inspiration to be found there.

Ok...let's party!

Rules
-Link to post, not your home page
-Link to something YOU made, wrote or thought
-No Etsy or Business Pages
-Link Parties, Roundups and Giveaways welcome
- Don't Link and Run! Please visit other links, make friends, learn something new, leave a comment, we all love comments
-If you were featured, grab a"Featured" button, found below.
-Consider adding our Party button to your Party Page or Post.




Thursday, October 22, 2015

Awesome Life Friday #40

10 comments:
Welcome!  We're so looking forward to seeing what you've been cooking, creating, growing, decorating, reviewing, giving away, and thinking about this week!

My daughter and her family are currently visiting us here in DC for a couple weeks before heading off to their new duty station in Germany, so I'm very much enjoying spending time with the family and getting reaquainted with my grandkids.

Also, you may have noticed that we've begun co-hosting another link up - Party in Your PJs!  It will be starting on Tuesday evenings, and running through Saturday.  I hope you'll join us there as well!

This is what else we've been up to:


We hope you'll check these out if you haven't already!  Don't forget to peek at the sidebar and check out what other giveaways we currently have going.

~~~

And now our favorite part - the FEATURES!  If you're one of our featured posts, we'd love it if you'd grab a button, and thanks to all of you who shared with us last week!

If you are one of our FEATURED bloggers, this button is for you!





Let's Make a Witch // Penny's Vintage Home



How to Make & Can Concord Jelly // Olives n' Okra



Tips For Adopting a Dog From the Humane Society // Devastate Boredom 



Foraging & Harvesting Rose Hips For Your Medicinal Pantry //  
Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth 



Slow Cooker Pork & Apples Rice Bowl // Houseful of Handmade



Avocado & Grape Arugula Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing //
This Fox Kitchen

 


Thank you all so much for sharing your awesomeness!

Are you all ready to party?  If you like, we'd love it you'd help spread the word by grabbing our button:






Here we go!



Review: Sand Cloud Apparel

10 comments:

Two things that rejuvenate and inspire me are photography and the ocean. When I’m sitting on the beach or behind a camera lens I am completely absorbed in the moment. Sand Cloud Apparel was love at first site for me as I browsed their photos. I could not wait to enjoy a beach day on this beautiful towel and nourish my soul.

Sand Cloud was created by three friends with a shared vision of protecting the beaches, ocean, marine life, and lifestyle they love. For them “the beach means freedom, friendship, and communing with nature. It’s a place to express your unique individuality and style while you share good vibes. Every day at the beach replenishes your spirit so you can live your life with passion.”

For review, I received the Orchid, which retails for $47.00. Looking through Sand Cloud’s photos and social media, I want to expand my collection!

As the website says, "This Bohemian inspired towel represents good vibes and a free spirit."

The towel is 40"×68″  and hand-loomed in Turkey from 100% Turkish Cotton. The care instruction recommend machine washing on cold, and to air dry.

Sand Cloud has a 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed policy - if you aren’t happy send it back for a full refund!  They also provide free shipping on all US orders.


When you purchase Sand Cloud products, you also help to preserve and protect beaches, oceans, and marine life. 10% of their net profits are donated to organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation and Oceana.


They also organize regular beach cleans ups in partnership with San Diego Coastkeeper.


My experience with my Sand Cloud towel was nothing but positive.

The sand easily came off the towel after using, and I was able to wrap my son up in it for walking on the sand.

I washed it after our return from the beach and it remains beautiful! 

I know I'll be using this frequently, in many different ways.

I’m currently enjoying this towel for a photography prop, at the park, as a blanket, for beach getaways, and as a scarf.

Over a year ago I moved from Hawaii to California (not the beach California you are thinking of, the desert scene). Hawaii has my roots and until I return, this beach towel is my reminder of the feeling of the ocean. Maybe I will decorate our next Hawaii house with Sand Cloud towels!

Let me be honest, I knew I was going to absolutely love this towel before I could feel it. You just get this feeling sometimes that something will be the perfect match for your style. If you’re a fellow beach lover, this is your towel!


If you'd like to try one for yourself, Sand Cloud is offering a Promo code worth 25% off your order - just enter LIFE25 in the discount code section when you check out!
 




http://www.sandcloudapparel.com/
https://twitter.com/mysandcloud
https://www.facebook.com/sandcloudapparel





Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Party in Your PJs #78

4 comments:
Welcome to Party in Your PJs!

Happy Tuesday!  No, you haven't landed on the wrong page - Reviews, Chews & How-Tos has joined the Party in Your PJs Link Party - your posts will now be seen on five different blogs each week.   In addition to Kim from The Cookie Puzzle and Bree from bumblebreeblog, you'll also find Party in Your PJs every Tuesday evening at Grandma Ideas, Wood of Bell Trees and... here!

You'll still find the Awesome Life Friday link up every Thursday evening at 8pm ET so we hope to see you there as well.

Are you ready to party? I can't wait to see what you've brought to share!



 Heather @ Wood of Bell Trees

Heather is a wife of a peanut butter fanatic and mom of one silly human and one furry canine, wrangling life on 2nd shift and glitterizing everything as she goes!

Lynda @ Reviews, Chews & How-Tos 

Lynda lives outside DC with her husband Michael and elderly beagle, Sadie. She and her daughter Jackie started RCHReviews as a way to spend time together in spite of living across country, and along the way they've added several friends as regular contributors. Between them all, they bring together many different perspectives and lifestyles with one common philosophy - try new things, have fun, and remember you are awesome!

Nina @ Grandma Ideas

How is this: Nina is wildly in love with her grandchildren. She delights in doing activities with them that strengthen their relationship –- playing games, doing crafts, snuggling, reading stories to them, and cooking together. She enjoys reading, technology, and traveling. (Tahiti is her most favorite place on earth!)







The rules for the group board include:
1. Limit of one pin a day.
2. Just like the party anything goes, but clear wonderful pictures with great descriptions are most successful.
3. Please no Spam ( Spammers will be deleted without warning)
4.  If you pin to the Pinterest Board, please link to the Party in Your PJs Party also, the party runs from 7 pm Tuesdays-Midnight Saturday (Central Time)
5.  Finally have fun and share this group board  with blog friends and followers!  The more success the group board is the more success you will see from your pins.

Want to be added to the group board?  Follow our Party in Your PJs board and comment on this post with your Pinterest name or email Bree at bumblebreeblog@gmail.com or Kim at thecookiepuzzle@gmail.com

 

Features from Last Weeks Party!

 


I love how warm and cozy this looks, and the clear tutorial provides tons of inspiration!



 Speaking of inspiration, this round up of great themed costumes for the whole family is sure provide some fun ideas!


Make sure you head over to the other member of Party in Your PJs to see their features, we each pick our own features.

All links are pinned to a Party Board...you can follow the board on Pinterest...feel free to follow the board, there is lots of inspiration to be found there.

Ok...let's party!

Rules
-Link to post, not your home page
-Link to something YOU made, wrote or thought
-No Etsy or Business Pages
-Link Parties, Roundups and Giveaways welcome
- Don't Link and Run! Please visit other links, make friends, learn something new, leave a comment, we all love comments
-If you were featured, grab a"Featured" button, found below.
-Consider adding our Party button to your Party Page or Post.





Review: Daily Skin Active Hydration Moisturizer

10 comments:
As a woman in my 50s, I've gone from oily skin, to combination skin, to dry skin over the years, and have had to adjust my moisturizing regimen accordingly.

Skin Daily Hydrating Moisturizer is meant to combat each of these conditions.  It is a US made product that uses natural ingredients, is completely scent free and doesn't involve any animal testing.  It is available from Amazon for $19.97, and comes in a generous 3.4 oz dispenser, making this a very cost effective solution for problem skin.  I received mine for review via Tomoson.

I liked the easy to use pump, and found the product to be thick and creamy.  It is meant to be the last thing used before applying make up, after washing, using any toner or serum.  I did find that it doesn't immediately soak into the skin, so it was best to wait about 15 minutes before using any other cosmetics.

I didn't experience any facial tingling. reddening or irritation from it (I problem I often have with anti-aging products). I did find it was very important to exfoliate regularly to remove dry skin before applying in order to feel as if my face were hydrated well, and the thickness of the cream means that this will be a winter product rather than one for summer for me.

That said, I also found that it works very nicely as a night time moisturizer, protecting and hydrating my skin as I slept.

Due to it's affordability and the care to avoid issues with skin sensitivity, I would recommend this product as a starting point for anyone who is unsure where to begin with their own skincare concerns - it may very well be the answer for those with multiple, often incompatible skin issues and is not likely to cause any new ones.  If, like me, you have a whole pile of 'almost but not quite' products you've tried, some quite pricey, this could well be the one that lets you clear out the clutter!


Check out Skin Daily Active Hydration Moisturizer on Amazon, where you'll also find their natural serums and oils!