75 Years with 750,000 Carmex Fans

Congratulations to Carmex for 75 years!  To celebrate this milestone, Carmex is sponsoring a contest on Facebook.  They are hoping to have 750,000 fans to celebrate their monumental 75 years in business and are giving away some fantastic Carmex prizes as well as CASH!  They have reached their first goal of 250,000 Facebook fans and will be giving away $1000 and a fishbowl of Carmex products.  To enter this contest like Carmex on Facebook and fill out the entry form.  Good luck to all and Congratulations to Carmex!

StyleUnited: New View, New You

Recently, I was given the opportunity by SheSpeaks to preview StyleUnited, a new and exciting fashion and beauty webside by P&G.  StyleUnited is brought to you by such brands as Olay, Frederic Fekkai, DDF Skincare and Cover Girl.  StyleUnited offers women access to exclusive editorial content and personalized recommendations and connects them to to their full style potential using these unique tools:

• Style 360 - a fully personalized diagnostic quiz that has been designed to understand your individual needs in skin care, hair care, cosmetics and fashion.
• Customized Beauty and Fashion Content - hundreds of curated articles, blogs and how-to videos from industry experts  answer your every question while keeping you up on the latest trend news. 

Joining StyleUnited is quick and easy!  It just takes a few minutes and then you are on your way to getting your own personal recommendations.  The quizzes are fun and I really enjoyed getting the results!  I am looking forward to trying out some of the products that the website recommended just for me.  The best part is that these are P&G products, from a brands I already use and trust!












StyleUnited is a website that I will go to again and again because it is fun, informative and easy to use.  Right now StyleUnited is hosting a fabulous giveaway,  the StyleUnited: New View, New You Giveaway!  Join, and enter and you could win! Two lucky winners will be chosen at random to take home a $500 gift card for a shopping spree at Macy’s or Nordstrom courtesy of StyleUnited.


Thank you to SheSpeaks and StyleUnited for giving me the opportunity to review the StyleUnited website.  In return for my review I will receive a P&G beauty gift, all opinions are my own.

Gevalia Kaffe is much more than your average ‘cup of joe'

Whew!  I don't know about you, but I am glad that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over and now I can get back into my normal schedule!  Don't get me wrong, I love all of the activities that make up the holiday season, but it seems that I can't sit down and just relax with a nice cup of coffee.  I was very excited to get to try  Gevalia Kaffe courtesy of My Blog Spark and Gevalia Kaffe. 
I received a sample of the House Blend from Gevalia Kaffe, sample of the French Roast Blend from Gevalia Kaffe and a Gevalia Kaffe branded coffee mug to aid in my review. I found each of the two blends that I sampled to be rich and quite delicious...just what I need to jump start my morning!  I am especially excited that Gevalia Kaffe is now available at my local Safeway Grocery store!  Here in Texas, it is Randall's and I shop there several times a week.  I made a special point to notice whether or not Gevalia Kaffe was available at my Randall's store and it is!

 

Gevalia, now available at Safeway, brings unexpected Swedish-style luxury and rich, never bitter taste to the Safeway grocery aisle.

• Gevalia has been refining the art of luxurious coffee since 1853 and has a deep history of finding and blending the finest Arabica coffee beans from locations around the world.
• Gevalia is expertly made with carefully selected beans, ground extra fine, to produce a rich coffee experience.
• Previously available online only, Gevalia is now offering its top-ten varieties in U.S. coffee supermarket aisles nationwide in 10 varieties, including roast and ground, whole bean, flavored and decaffeinated varieties:
  
  
• Gevalia Traditional Roast (ground and whole bean):
  Gevalia Traditional Roast provides a perfectly balanced taste every time. Our most beloved blend – made of choice, mountain-grown Arabica beans – this coffee has a distinctive body and flavor with a lighter intensity. (Medium Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia House Blend:
  A Gevalia favorite, House Blend is a robust yet never bitter coffee. This roast has a captivating aroma that is only matched by its exceptional flavor. (Medium/Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia House Blend Decaf :
  Delivering the same rich, never bitter flavor, House Blend Decaf has the same robust taste without all the caffeine. (Medium/Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia French Roast (ground and whole bean):
  Gevalia French Roast is a coffee of impressive richness and dimension, expertly crafted from prized Arabica beans grown in Colombia and Brazil. Hints of aromatic smoke give this dark-roasted French Roast blend an intense, yet uniquely satisfying flavor. (Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Colombia:
  Grown high in the Colombian Andes, these beans produce a rich, bright and well-bodied Colombian coffee. This single origin classic is world-renowned, which is why we have sourced these beans for decades. (Medium Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Espresso Roast:
  Gevalia Espresso Roast is made of premium, mountain-grown Arabica beans from East Africa and Central and South America. This roast is bold and full-bodied with a hint of caramel undertones. (Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Vanilla:
  This rich blend with vanilla flavor notes is crafted from choice mountain-grown Arabica beans, then roasted for exceptional body and flavor. Gevalia Vanilla is a flavorful and balanced experience with a heavenly aroma.
  
  
• Gevalia Chocolate Mocha:
  Gevalia Chocolate Mocha allows you to indulge your passion for decadent flavor. Rich, velvety chocolate flavor is blended with mountain-grown Arabica beans for a sweetly satisfying experience.

With its Swedish heritage and rich, never bitter taste, Gevalia is a premium coffee unlike any other.

• Having Gevalia in your kitchen means you care about the quality of the coffee you consume and enjoy rich, authentic flavors.
• Gevalia offers a variety of authentic rich flavors that are perfect for everything from a relaxing morning cup of coffee to an indulgent after dinner compliment.

I am excited to offer one of you a chance to win the very same products I reviewed.  Open to US residents 18 years of age or older. 

• (1) sample of the House Blend from Gevalia Kaffe
• (1) sample of the French Roast Blend from Gevalia Kaffe
• A Gevalia Kaffe branded coffee mug

 Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Gevalia for providing a Prize Pack for to aid in my review.

All I can say is WOW!!!!! Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol in IMAX

I recently had the opportunity to see "Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol" in IMAX courtesy of  IMAX and My Blog Spark and all I can say is WOW!  I live in Texas and we are used to LARGER than life but seeing Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt on the REALLY BIG screen was fabulous.  I have two sons, ages 18 and 23 and they love action-adventure movies and this was no exception!  This installment of the Mission Impossible franchise did not disappoint.  It was nonstop action that kept us on the edge of our seats!  I really enjoyed the IMAX experience and I would highly recommend seeing Ghost Protocol in IMAX.  Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol is currently playing in over 300 IMAX theaters in North America.  The IMAX locations can be found on the IMAX website.  This was the perfect distraction during the somewhat stressful Holiday season and my whole family loved it! Thank you IMAX and MyBlogSpark!

Disclosure: Tickets and information have been provided by IMAX through MyBlogSpark.

This is my entry for the Zanussi Cookers make every meal a masterpiece competition

My son and I created this "Starry Night" cupcake masterpiece to celebrate him graduating from college in May!  

I Caught Santa!

Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when a child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three simple steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don't have kids yourself.



I sure wish that this had been available when my kids were young!  What a great idea!

Merry Christmas!

Green Giant to the Rescue!

Mealtime has always been hectic at my house!  I have two picky eaters and many times it seems as if I am cooking two entire meals.  Both of my sons love Mac and Cheese, so I decided to give the New Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables,  Macaroni and Cheese Sauce with Broccoli a try.  Much to my delight, it was a huge hit and everyone loved it! 

I loved that it is quick and easy to prepare!  It is perfect for busy families with limited time to cook.  The fact that the Mac and Cheese also has broccoli added makes it a win-win situation.  The kids get the yummy mac and cheese that they want and they eat a vegetable as well.

Making meal time easier than ever, Green Giant has introduced vegetables with pasta and savory sauces to their already convenient and tasty line-up of Valley Fresh Steamers frozen mixes. The new Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables with Pasta varieties include: Macaroni and Cheese Sauce with Broccoli - classic elbow pasta and broccoli in a mouth watering cheese sauce Pasta and Vegetables with Alfredo Sauce – delicious corkscrew pasta with carrots and broccoli in a savory Alfredo sauce

Giveaway!
I have a prize pack from Green Giant for one of my lucky readers so that you can also try one of the new Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta. The prize pack will include the following:

• 2 Green Giant placemats
• Broccoli stress reliever
• 32 oz. serving bowl
• Surprise face serving spoon
• A VIP coupon for the new Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta

To enter tell me which one of the varieties of Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta you would like to try.

Additional entries:

Follow me via Google Friend Connect
Follow me on twitter
Tweet about this giveaway

This contest will end on 12/09/2011 at 10:00 pm CST and is open to US citizens.






Disclosure: Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.