Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Bunny (Grav3YardGirl) - The Queen of YouTube Product Reviewer

Since my blog has evolved into one of reviews, I decided that I needed to do a review on one of the best product reviewers EVER!  Bunny AKA Grav3YardGirl is my absolute favorite YouTube reviewer.  If there is a product I'm curious about purchasing, Bunny's YouTube channel is the first place I'm going to visit.  If she's reviewed the item, I know I will not get some out-of-the-box boring review.  I will get an honest review of the product, product demonstration, AND be entertained while I'm watching.  I have to say the entertainment reason is the #1 reason to turn on a Bunny review over anyone elses.  Sometimes I will find myself watching her channel for items I'm NEVER going to purchase (like hair curlers) but I just want to see what she has to say about them! 

The typical YouTube reviewer just talks about the product, maybe open the box, MAYBE shows you what it does, and then gives you their opinion.  That's not the case with Bunny.  She makes you feel like she is talking just to you in her home over drinks about something she bought that day.  Her unique, charming, goofy but loving personality is like none other!  I can promise you this, if you watch a video from her popular "Does This Thing Really Work?" series you won't be disappointed! 

So does Bunny really work as a reviewer?  ABSOLUTELY!  She gets an A+++ from me! 

https://www.youtube.com/user/grav3yardgirl



Saturday, May 17, 2014

Warm Sausage Dip Recipe - The Go-To for Party or Potlucks




Warm Sausage Dip with Blue Tortilla Chip


I have been using this recipe for over 15 years for a lot of potlucks, work events, parties, and holidays!  It's the perfect, easy, delicious go-to.  I'd love to explore more appetizers for parties and work events, but they always request I bring this one in so their wish is my command!  :)

Tip #1: Serve this in a 1.5 or 2 Qt crock pot.  Keeps it warm and yummy!  (If you don't have one, they run from $10-12 and are totally worth having around)
Tip #2: Determine your heat level.  This first time you make this follow the directions.  From their decide on what you want to do with the heat level.  The standard recipe is pretty mild.  To increase the heat, add juice from the Rotel Tomatoes.  The more juice the hotter.  The decrease the heat, less tomatoes.  Because of the spice in the sausage, this is even great without the Rotel altogether if that's a route you want to take. 
Tip #3: If you have a lot of guests to serve, double the cream cheese and Rotel.  You don't have to double the sausage.  It will go a long way. 
Tip #4: Any brand cream cheese or sausage can be used.  I've found it doesn't matter.  But I can tell a difference when I've used store brand tomatoes and chilis versus Rotel.  My advice is to stick to the Rotel.
Tip #5: Great made night before.  Just store it in the fridge, then put it in your crock pot when ready to serve or heat it back up on the stove. 
Tip #6: Pretty good cold too, so this is always a serving option.  I've done it this way with crackers before because the chips break when it's cold.  


Warm Sausage Dip
1 8 oz block of cream cheese; cubed
1 roll of sausage
1 can of Rotel Original; drained
 
Brown your sausage.  Add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Add Rotel.  Serve Warm with Tortilla chips.  

Alchemy - The Magnificent Magical Olde Worlde Emporium in Louisville



 
Cover Photo 
 
This week I had to get a tire repair at Southern Tire Service Company (check out my review of STSC), and took a walk down the street to get some steps in and pick up lunch down the street at Jimmy Johns.  While on my little stroll. I came across an interesting shop called Alchemy that I hadn't noticed before. 

Alchemy caught my eye with it's old-time look and feel.  When I walked in, I discovered the theme of the store was whimsy and magic and knew I was in for a treat.  The shop has just been opened a couple of weeks and it's already a pretty impressive storefront.  The antique shelves, carts, and organ add to the ambiance along with details as small as the perfect sign font.

I spoke with the shop owner and he said they were going to be getting a lot of interesting new Harry Potter themed items from the UK like silk and cotton scarfs.  He also said that he had Mary Poppins carpet bags and princess items on order, which I definitely want to go back and check out.  Some of the items they had in stock were a variety of candies and candles, antique knives that had been hand-crafted into bracelets with quotes from Peter Pan and Harry Potter, books for Wizards or Pirates or Illusionists, and odds and ends. 

In talking with the owner you could tell he had a passion for the magical that will propel this shop to something very unique for the Louisville area...and yes MAGICAL.

Check it out if have someone in your life that loves any kind of magic or unique items!

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Southern Tires Service Company - Small Town Feel in Downtown Louisville

Southern Tire Service Company
601 E. Market Louisville, KY
 
I have used Southern Tire Service Company twice now, and I highly recommend them to anyone especially those that work in the downtown area.  This week I visited needing a tire repair and a new tire sensor and I was in and out within and hour (NO APPOINTMENT) and for under $100!  Give me one example of a chain tire store or a dealership that can accomplish either of those even with an appointment. I've gone to them in the past for another tire repair and had the same experience as far as time, so I'm confident this isn't a fluke but their standard!
 
The icing on the cake is the friendliness of the staff in the family run business.  They are right in the middle of downtown Louisville, but give you the feel of small town Kentucky in hospitality and price!  If you need your tires fixed, go to Southern Tire Service Company!  

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps Recipe - A Family Favorite!



This recipe is a reproduction of the Raincoast Crisp Rosemary Raisin Pecan version.  My family absolutely loves these!  Even when both girls are being picky eaters, I know I can pull these out and win them over.  They can be served plain, but my favorite way to enjoy these is topped with goat cheese.  I've also used whipped cream cheese and Laughing Cow Swiss. 

I want to add that this is one of those recipes that looks like the ingredients may cost more than it's worth, but I if you use my Tip #1 below it makes about 24 muffins and each muffin makes anywhere from 8-12+ crackers depending on how thin you slice it.  THEN you will still have left over ingredients for the next time you make them.  For example the Flax Seed is going to last you forever!!  I've made half a dozen batches of these at least and still have most of my box of Flax Seed. 

Here are my tips for this recipe:
Tip #1: Don't bake it in the mini loaf pan.  Bake it in a muffin pan. 
Tip #2: Freeze the the muffins BEFORE trying to slice. This will make them hard and much easier to slicke therefore making them thiner and more crisps from each one.
Tip #3: Slice using a bagel knife if you have one.  This works really well for me. 
Tip #4: Slice all your muffins at one time then refreeze the slices in a gallon freezer bag.  Bake what you want when you want them! 
Tip #5: If you don't have buttermilk (usually the one ingredient I don't have on hand), don't get discouraged!  Make your own!

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seed, ground
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into two 8”x4” loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.  Cool as much as possible before slicing.  Slice the loaves in thin slices.  Place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Reduce the oven heat to 300° F and bake them for about 15 minutes on one side then flip then and bake for 10 minutes on the other side.  Add more time if necessary to make them crispy and golden. 

Happy Baking and even more important Happy Munching! 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Journey for the Perfect Baby Doll

Baby dolls were never my thing and my oldest daughter is following in my footsteps.  That's not the case for my youngest daughter.  With her 2nd birthday fast approaching, I knew the perfect gift for my little mommy was a fabulous baby doll.  Up until this point, she'd had some of her sister's hand-me-downs but nothing she really loved or could call her own.  So began the journey to find that perfect baby doll...easier said than done!

Here's the problem...have you shopped for dolls lately?  If not, let me tell you the pickings are NOT cute.  It doesn't matter where you go from Big Lots to ToysRUs the quality is cheap and the price is high. It's really an oddity to me that I didn't realize existed. 

All-in-all Baby Alive line seems to be about the best, but most of them weren't really age appropriate for my 2yo.  They did have one, the Baby Alive Luv 'n Snuggle Baby Doll, that was age appropriate, reasonably priced, and good quality.  It just didn't "do" much except be able to put her paci or thumb in her mouth. 

I went ahead and purchased the Baby Alive doll, but just wasn't statisfied.  After weeks of searching I had about about given up, and then 2 days before her birthday I decided to browse the baby doll aisle of a Wal-Mart store (I'd looked at Wal-Mart online only at this point).  AND THERE IT WAS...THE perfect doll...just what I was looking for.  This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, but I'm going to just say it anyway...you know the whole saying about shopping for wedding dresses...you just know when you've found the right one....seriously this is what this felt like!  After weeks of searching, I'd found a doll that met my standards and I knew (or at least hoped) my daughter would love.  Believe it or not this hidden Gem is Wal-Mart's My Sweet Love brand, specifically the My Sweet Love Interactive Baby Doll.  Here's what I liked about this doll over the (what felt like hundred) others I looked at:
  • It is actually interactive with motorized movements
  • The above mentioned motorized movements aren't VERY noisy like some of the other moving dolls I saw
  • If put the paci or bottle in the doll's mouth, it turns on and suckles the bottle and paci with her eyelids blinking as she does
  • If you take the paci or bottle out of the doll's mouth while the doll is lying down, the doll will cry ("Baby kye, baby kye!" per my 2yo)
  • If you take the paci or bottle out of the doll's mouth while she is sitting up, she coos and babbles words like mommy and daddy
  • If you leave the paci or bottle in while she's laying down, she'll go to sleep.  The doll's eyes "close" and her stomach will rise and fall.  This feature is a little tiny bit creepy because the eyes on the doll don't close all the way and she sounds a bit like Darth Vadar IMO, but the girls love the baby sleeping!
All-in-all apparently I wasn't too far off with the dress analogy, because this doll was perfect success and my 2yo LOVED it.  (My 4yo who doesn't even care for dolls loved it and wants one for her birthday!)  She puts her to bed at night, feeds her, and takes care of her.  It was a huge hit!  So if you are in dismay over the doll market much like I have been, take a look at the My Sweet Love Interactive Baby Doll before giving up! 

And one additional quick note...I don't think the picture below or online do the doll justice so go to the store and check it out! OR you can just trust me and order it!  :)
 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Fitbit Flex - Product and Company Review

If you are looking to purchase a Fitbit Flex, I have several things to share not only about the product but also about the company. 

First, the Fitbit Flex itself.  Overall, I love the product.  I'd like to say that I'm busy and don't have time to do the typical things that go with the normal pedometers like take them on and off and hook them up to my computer to upload the steps, BUT in reality...I'm lazy!!  It's like with jewelry, if I take it off...I typically forget to put it back on!  I love that it's waterproof and I can leave it on all the time.  My employer is fabulous and gives us incentive points for our steps, the bluetooth capability even automatically uploads the steps for me.  I don't even have to think about it.  If I want to know how I'm doing, I can look at the app on my phone or the website at any time.  You can customize your goals which I really like, because I'm no marathon runner.  The sleep function is an interesting function, but I found after a couple of months I stopped messing with it.  I do like the vibrating sleep alarm especially on the nights my husband is off and I have to work...I still have my loud alarm going off, but maybe only five times instead of 10. :)

There are a few cons.  The biggest of them all are that because of the wrist placement, steps taken while pushing a grocery cart or stroller do not count.  WOW MOMMAS out there!  If you are like me with a 2 and 4 year old, that's a lot of steps!!  If you bring this up to the company, they recommend taking the Fitbit Flex out of the wrist band and putting it in your pocket for these situations.  Well, as I've already mentioned...I'm lazy...so that's not going to happen.  Even if I did...it would end up in the washing machine never to be seen again!  So, I tend to try to push the cart or stroller one handed as much as possible to try to salvage a few steps here or there!  The other con is probably more my issue than the products and I've already mentioned it, if I take it off I forget to put it back on. So when it's time to charge it for 3-4 hours (I do it at night), it sometimes take a day or two for me to remember to put it back on. 

Now about FitBit the company.  People that know me, know I'm pretty hard on companies.  I'm the first person to email or call and give feedback.  This company is FABULOUS!!!  After about 6 months, I went to pick up my oldest daughter at her grandmother's in the middle of the night because she was sick.  I guess in carrying her around, I knocked off my Fitbit Flex somewhere.  (I'd like to add, this had NEVER happened in 6 months.)  I waited for a few months hoping it would turn up before I cave and invested in another one or even downgraded to the FitBit Zip to save money.  I posted a question on our companies social media site about what people thought of the FitBit Zip and what do I find out...that if I call FitBit and let them know I lost my FitBit Flex, they will send me another one.  NO WAY...this is a $100 pedometer.  I sent them an email that day, they asked for a receipt of my purchase and mailing information, and that day they said they'd have a new one shipped out to me within 3-5 days!  WOW!!  Now that is Customer Service!

Overall, I recommend the FitBit Flex and I highly recommend anything from the FitBit company!