July 27th, 2009

My Love for You is so Timeless…

My husband loves the classic beauties- the hour glass figures of the pinup girls, vintage cars, and eating at diners with jukeboxes and soda jerks. He prefers suspenders over belts, low-cut neat hairstyles, cigars and pipes, and mom and pop shops. Even his taste in jewelery is classic- preferring pocket watches over wrists watches any day.

When we celebrated our first wedding anniversary on August 30, 2004, I scoured the Internet looking for a pocket watch that embodied the classic beauty of the old Hunter-case watches worn by the railroad workers of 19th century. It was virtually impossible to find one that had the look and feel of the old-style pocket watches,and the ones that I did find were extravagantly priced. Unfortunately, I could not find one that we could afford- you know, newlywed and barely making ends meet.

This year, however, as we come upon out 6-year anniversary, I have decided to bite the bullet and buy a pocket watch for my husband. I found a great, inexpensive collection of the Jules Jergensent watches for under $300. I plan on getting my husband the watch on the left with a phrase, “my love for you is so timeless” engraved on the back.

I guess this is going to be the anniversary of classic gifts, because when my husband asked me what I wanted, I suggested that he check out the Citizen Watches collection which includes and  old-fashion-styled charm bracelet watch. I am normally not a fan of watches for myself, but this bracelet/watch is absolutely breathtaking. It’s going to be a great anniversary!

January 1st, 2009

Product Review: Good Deals & Smart Steals

Let’s face it, the economy has us all suffocating and stressed beyond relief. So, when I was asked to review the new book “Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything,” I jumped at the offer. And I am glad I did.

The tiny book  packs a huge punch with how to get the most out of your money simply by knowing where to shop. Take, for example, auctions. When we think of auctions we think of Ebay or Yahoo, but did you know that you can find auctions through the United States Postal Service or the United Stated Department of Treasury?

In addition to auctions, some of the other tips include how to save money purchasing big appliances, organizing a clothing exchange with friends, keeping up with car maintence, and even maximizing coupons by shopping on “Double Coupon Days.”

If part of your New Year’s Reasolution is to save money, you will benefit from this amazing tips offered in ”Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything“. This book gets two thumbs up from my family.

September 24th, 2008

Product Review: Gloves in a Bottle

When I was asked to review Gloves in a Bottle, I was slightly intrigued. Usually, when asked to review a product, I immediately head to Google to find out what exactly the product is all about. However, life got in the way and I wasn’t able to check it out in advance. When the box arrived, I sat and read all of the literature before trying using it- partly because I had no clue that it was a lotion and partly because i half-expected to be able to scrub my stove after using the stuff. Suffice it to say, had I gone to the website, I would have seen this message:

Gloves In A Bottle is not intended to protect against any chemicals or irritants other than dirt and grime. Always follow manufacturer’s safety directions when handling any harmful substance. Gloves In A Bottle is not a substitute for required safety protection, including gloves.

Gloves in a Bottle is a shielding lotion that bonds to dead skin cells in order to form a protective layer over the skin. This shield prevents bad elements- wind and irritants to name a few- from damaging the skin. What’s more, this protective layer does not wash off so it provides protection continuously.

Armed with a clue and my sample lotions, I decided to focus on two of my problem areas. Previously I talked about my embarrassing problem of really dry feet, so that was one area and the other was my face. For some reason my face has been extremely dry and there are areas that seem to be peeling.

Unfortunately, Gloves in a Bottle did not work for mel. After applying this lotion to my face, it still felt rough and dry. I actually had to apply it three times before I felt some relief. I tried it for a week and found myself reapply numerous times throughout the day as my face never felt moisturized. In fact, by the end of the week, my face felt and looked the same. While it did help a little on my feet, I did not see a great improvement. I wasn’t impressed with this lotion at all. This is not to say that it won’t work for someone else. Lotion is a funny thing in that everyone’s body chemistry reacts differently. It may be worth giving it a try if you are looking for something to help alleviate very dry skin.

July 17th, 2008

Lighter on the Salt, Heavy on the Taste

I am always looking for healthier alternatives to my favorite snacks and Lays Original potato chips are by far my favorite chips. They contain 180 mg of sodium (the same as white bread) and with my and my husband’s current high blood pressure issues, I have to avoid them. So, when I was contacted by a representative from the Zócalo Group with an offer to try a sample of the Lays Pinch of Salt Potato Chips, I jumped at the chance to do so- and I was not disappointed.

The chips arrived in a very large box considering the size of the bag (a regular large bag of chips), which made me chuckle. But a big box was needed to contain the flavor of these chips. They were amazing. My husband, who NEVER wants plain chips, enjoyed them as well. And while sodium is still off limits to us, it’s good to know that we can indulge every now and then with a better choice.

I do want to share some nutritional information that Jen, the Zócalo Group representive who sent me the free samples, forwarded to me. I cross-checked this information with the USDA and it is accurate.

SODIUM COMPARISONS OF FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS AND COMMONLY CONSUMED FOODS AND SNACKS

*Data from USDA Nutrient Database