CONTEST!

If you read my blog post yesterday about the Vati Lucky Flowers Vinyl Macbook Decal, you'll know that I liked this product. I wish it fit my iPad, but the cutouts for the apple logo can be kept in place so you can put this decal on a regular laptop as well.

Anyway, let's have a contest!!

To enter, you need to comment on this blog post. The winner will receive a FREE Vati Lucky Flowers Vinyl Macbook Decal! The winner will be chosen at random on July 6!

Here's what it looks like in case you forgot (stock photo):

If you want a chance to win one of these decals be sure to comment on this post! 

♥ Caitlyn 

Vati Macbook Decal

This past week I got a Vati "Lucky Flowers" Macbook Decal at a discounted price so I could give my honest and unbiased review.

Ta-Da!

Isn't it pretty? That was the first thing I thought when I got the opportunity to try this. I like the design.

So this is marketed for Macbooks, but it also says on their Amazon listing at it can be used for iPads. I don't have a Macbook, but I do have an iPad so I figured I'd try it out. When it came in, it was in a sleeve with an instructional card. Basically you peel it off the paper and stick it on, smooth out the bubbles, and you're done. It also removable. I know this because it says so, but also because I tried it out. 

You can't tell in the picture above, but the middle has a cutout for the apple logo, so if you put it on your Macbook, the apple is right in the middle. Pretty neat. I thought it would be that way for my iPad too. It didn't work so much. The apple logos must be different sizes because it was way too big. Instead of leaving it on there, I took it off and stuck it on my laptop. I put the apple cutouts back in the middle, and you can't even tell! It's clear vinyl so not only does the silver show through, but it didn't get messed up when I pulled it off. 

My Rating: 4/5 

Pros- It was thick, nice vinyl. The printing was nice, it hard sharp edges and didn't look blurry anywhere. It was easily removable, and it was still adhesive after I transferred it to my laptop. 

Cons- The logo cutout does NOT fit an iPad, so I'm not sure why it says it does. What's nice is that you can leave the cutouts in place and you can't hardly tell at all that it comes apart.

Vati has a bunch of other designs, check them out here.

♥ Caitlyn 

WonderVeg Tri Blade Spiralizer

Hey everyone! I've been busy busy and didn't get a chance to do my mail call for last week... I'll do it soon, I promise! I had to write four lesson plans tonight, and they're all due tomorrow! Add that to my crazy busy weekend, and I'm worn out!!

Anyway, last week I got a WonderVeg Tri Blade Spiralizer at a discount so that I could give my honest and unbiased review. I tried it out a few days ago, but I'm just now getting to my post!

Check out this bad boy!

So this thing makes all kinds of different cuts. It shreds! It curls! It slices!

The shred blade, the curl blade, and the slice blade. 

What I also like about it is that it has a storage compartment for the other two blades that you're not using. Which is great for me, because let's be honest, I have a million kitchen gadgets and I sometimes can't find all the pieces. It's not you, food processor, it's me.... I digress. 

All the drawers!

The instruction manual also had a mini recipe booklet with all kinds of fun things like greek salads and shawarma plates (not sure what this is, but it looks yummy).

So when I went to use this thing, I was trying to use it on my kitchen table and the suction cups on the feet weren't sticking. I moved it to the kitchen counter top, and they worked great. My table has a rough wood top, so that's probably why. The blades were sharp, it didn't take much effort to use. So far I've tried it out with potatoes and zucchini. It was fun watching the vegetables turn into ribbons and noodles. My toddler was intrigued (so was I). 

My Rating: 4/5

I liked it. The blades were sharp, the little metal hole on the blades held the potato (or zucchini) in place while the spikes on the handle held the other side. The suction cups were nice because otherwise this thing would have just slid on down my counter. I like the storage slots. My one dislike-- It's not dishwasher safe. (WHOMP WHOMP) But honestly it's not that big of a deal, I can wash it by hand. It came with a nifty little pink scrubby brush! Overall, I liked this product. The plastic seemed a little flimsy, but it wasn't bending while I was using it. I could see how it would melt in the dishwasher, though. But if you're looking for an expensive vegetable spiralizer that can make more than one type of cut, check this one out. It's on Amazon if you're wondering. 

Thanks #WonderVegSlicer!

♥ Caitlyn

Black Forest Timber Soap Review

Hey ya'll! Yesterday I got all kinds of fun products in the mail! I already reviewed the Kitchen Monster Pizza Cutter, and now I'm onto my second product review for this week! Today I'm reviewing Soap Club's Black Forest Timber Soap. I received this product at a heavily discounted rate so that I could review it! First things first! This soap is marketed as a Men's Soap, so when I ordered it I thought it would be something my husband would enjoy. You wouldn't think a beaded farmer-man like mine would enjoy soaps, but he really does. He works hard and gets really dirty during the day, so I know that he likes to come home and take a hot shower to relax and unwind. I thought that the Black Forest Timber sounded pretty manly, so I chose that scent. So this is what it looked like when it came in:

Ta-da!

Cute box, but I wish the sticker wasn't over the logo and info about the soap. I thought that was a weird place to put the sticker, but I guess someone thought that was where it should go...? Oh well, it didn't affect the soap so it doesn't really matter. 

I opened the soap and took it out and smelled it. I thought that "Black Forest Timber" would smell like deep mahogany or maybe a rich sandlewood, something "foresty." The soap didn't smell like that. It smelled more musky with a hint of something minty... eucalyptus maybe? I gave it to my husband and he didn't care for the smell. He said it reminded him of his grandma's bathroom. Well we live in his grandma's house so technically that would be our bathroom so I'm not sure what he meant. Anyways, I think what he was trying to say was that it has a strong musk to it. It doesn't smell bad.... just not how we both imaged it to smell. He didn't want to use it for his shower because he thought it was a more feminine smell, and I kind of agree. 

The actual soap itself was really pretty though. It's a cream color with black swirls. Check it out:

The front!

The back!

It definitely LOOKS like "Black Forest Timber" with all those black swirls.

Since the hubs didn't want to use it, I did. This soap really lathered well. Suds on suds on suds. I could tell that it had oils in it (package says olive, coconut, soybean, hemp oils) because it made my skin soft but not greasy. It made me feel clean for sure. I can tell it's a high quality soap made with quality ingredients. 

My Rating: 4/5. I think it's a quality soap. It had a nice lather and wasn't greasy. It was pretty, the package was presentable (Except the sticker. Sticker placement guy, I'm looking at you.). I took off a point because of the smell. It didn't smell bad, but it didn't smell like Black Forest Timber to me. I think the colors of the soap and the appearance did, but not so much the smell. I think the particular fragrance blend used in this soap could have had a different name and been fine, but I just don't think of this smell when I think of Black Forest Timber. 

If you are interested in trying out this soap, check it out on Amazon here.

Kitchen Monster Pizza Cutter Review

This week I'm reviewing a couple of different products, but today's is a Kitchen Monster Pizza Cutter, from Greenwald Brands. I got this pizza cutter for free in order to give an unbiased personal review. (I signed up through Tomoson if you were interested.)

Here's the pizza cutter straight out of the Amazon box!

Shiny!

Note the plastic on the cutting wheel-- more about that in a bit. There was a small scuff on the handle, but it washed off. My first thought was how big this sucker is. It's not a dinky small pizza cutter. It's got that long handle and the blade was way bigger than my dollar store cheapo pizza cutter that's missing half the handle because it got stuck in the garbage disposal (don't ask).

I took it out of the package and washed it. I had read that this had an "ergonomic grip." The grip was definitely better feeling than the straight handled pizza cutter that I have.

Should've gotten a mani first, ha

So how did it work? Well I'm on a strict no-carbs diet so I couldn't cut pizza with it (although I want to, I really really want to), but I did cut up the bacon that I made for our dinner. I'm glad that it came with a plastic cover on that wheel because it. is. SHARP. It sliced right through that bacon with no problems. It made cutting up my toddler's dinner fast and easy, and to be honest I might start doing that more often!

So overall, I would give it a 5/5. I'm not making this stuff up. This pizza cutter was awesome. I haven't ran it through the dishwasher yet so I can't tell you how it holds up after a few washes, but it doesn't seem cheaply made at all. It was sharper than my pizza cutter, so I need to keep it away from small hands for sure!

Maybe I should make a pizza just so I can use it..... ;)

♥ Caitlyn

Mail Call!

Well here's this past week's mail call!

I got WAY more goodies this week than last week!!

Here's what I got:

Premama Prenatal Powder. Get your sample here. I'm still breastfeeding my youngest at five months, so I'm still taking prenatal vitamins. I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds intriguing since I hate having to swallow what my husband calls "horse pills." They're huge.

Playtex sport combo pack- has tampons and pantyliners. Get this sample here.

Curad Truly Outchless Bandage sample. Unfortunately this sample has expired. You can sign on up on their website to receive coupons, though! Click here to sign up.

The Sun-Maid Recipe Book offers are now expired, but here's a new one for the 100th Anniversary! Click here to get it! You can do an ebook or have them mail you one.

My favorite thing this week is the coupon for a FREE Twix! I won that from an online contest where you "pick a side" and you can win a bunch of different prizes. You can do it once a day! I got this free twix coupon and a free music download! Thanks Twix! Maybe you're a winner?

I'm not gonna lie, I delayed posting this so I could enter the Twix contest again... and I won another free Twix! Ha! Maybe I should play the lottery or something! ;)

Next week I will be reviewing a bar of soap and a vegetable spiralizer so check back soon!!

♥ Caitlyn

Mail Call!

So I haven't decided which day of the week to do the mail call, but I'm not doing anything right now so I'm just gonna go for it!

I just started summer school on Monday, so I have been a busy busy bee! It's only a five-week course so it's a hit the ground running kind of thing. So while my schedule has been insane, my mail this week has been pretty slow. I only got two things, but I'm SUPER excited about one of them, let me tell ya!

Mail Call!!!

So the first thing I got was a sample of the Fancy Feast Broths. My daughter's cat is going to love this. She is an outside cat (barn cat) and I usually just give her the cheap-o dry food, so she's gonna feel like a queen with this! I haven't given it to her yet, but it looks like something that a spoiled cat would love :) Get the sample here (click on the link that says "Try a bowl on us!").

The second thing is what I'm SUPER excited about! So I signed up for Crowdtap.com and I got to test these Folger's Iced Cafe Concentrates. You add a couple of squirts to a glass of milk and it makes a latte.

I liked these-- a "latte." Sorry, lol!

So let me start by saying that I didn't even know that these existed. I'm a loyal Starbuck's girl and I usually don't pay much attention to the coffee in the store unless I'm buying KCups for my Keurig (which died this week-- RIP). So when I saw this on Crowdtap, I was intrigued. I was a little leary though, I thought for sure it was going to taste like coffee-flavored milk, which doesn't sound that appetizing.

These samples came in just in time after my Keurig died (RIP), and since I started school on Monday, I've really been dragging. I made a glass on Tuesday morning per the package directions (two squeezes, 8 oz milk, ice) and brought it with me to go drop my kids off at daycare before I made the hour-long trek to college. I was about halfway there when I took a sip and OMG LET ME TELL YOU. It was good!! I was surprised!! It actually did taste like a latte! The next morning I made it again but added an extra squeeze and it was even better. I got four samples, but so far I've only tried the Vanilla Latte one, and I highly recommend it! I don't know how much these are in stores, but one bottle makes 12 cups, or probably about 8 if you drink it with an extra squeeze or two like I do.

I signed up for two more product review companies, so I hope to be posting some more reviews soon!

Tony's Pizza

Hey everyone!

So this week I got to try out a Tony's Pizza for FREE from BzzAgent.com!

If you're not familiar with BzzAgent, you fill out a whole bunch of surveys and stuff so they find out more information about you and then they send you opportunities ("campaigns") to try new products in exchange for a review. This was my second campaign. The first campaign I participated in had me create two eBay guides on saving strategies. These campaigns involved two 500 word "how-to's" on buying coupons on eBay and how to save money by buying gift cards on eBay. In exchange for writing these guides, I'm getting a $25 eBay coupon. I haven't received it yet, but I'll update ya'll on that later.

So back to that whole free pizza thing....
I got a coupon for a free Tony's Pizza and three $1-off coupons that I was able to share with my family. I might have kept one for myself because we eat Tony's pizza around here quite often. ;) It's nice to throw it in the oven for a quick lunch for me and my oldest. They're pretty small though, so it's hard to spread it out between my husband (who's 6'4"), myself, and my oldest (youngest is still being breastfed). The whole point of this campaign was that the Tony's Pizzas are now 30% larger. The coupon I got showed the words "30% Larger" on the picture of the box, but the pizza that I got at the grocery store didn't say anything about the size. I don't know if maybe I got a pizza that was pre-larger distribution or if I just didn't notice the difference when I opened it, but it looked the same size to me. I live in a small town with one grocery store, so it's possible that I just got a pizza that had been there a little while and wasn't the new style and size. As for the pizza itself, I got a pepperoni one and cooked it directly on the rack and for one minute shorter than the package said and it was perfect. The cheese is made with real cheese and the sauce is made with real tomatoes and it was great. I wish there was more pepperoni on it, but for the price you can't expect it to be super loaded with toppings.

My Rating-- I would give it a 3/5.
Pros- Cheap! The price without a coupon is around $3.50 at my local grocery store. Also easy to cook. Throw it on the rack and fifteen minutes later it's ready to go. It tastes good! I like the crispy crust and melty cheese. Personally I would take a Tony's over a DiGiorno or Freschetta anyday. Or I would just make my own pizza, but that would cost more than $3.50 to get all the ingredients that you want.
Cons- Cheap! Haha this one goes both ways. Because of the price point, it doesn't have a lot of toppings. The crust doesn't have much flavor, it just adds a nice crunch. The size is a little small as well. It's not a pizza you could share with a lot of people, but it does make a nice lunch for a couple of kids or a nice dinner for a couple of adults if you make a salad or something to go with it.

Other things I got this week-
A sample of Emergen-C and Emergen-ZZZ, which is the night-time version. I tried the Emergen-C. It gave me a little energy, and it didn't taste bad at all. There was a $1-off coupon and a smoothie recipe in the sample pack as well. Stay tuned for the Emergen-ZZZ test! Get the sample here.

Hello World!

Well here's my first post! Let me tell you a little about myself...

I'm married to a dairy farmer. Well, used to be a dairy farmer. His grandfather started the dairy farm 75 years ago. This past spring, they sold the dairy cows and started running beef cattle. So instead of a dairy farmer, he's now a rancher.

We have two little girls. One is two, and the other one is five months old. They're both super spunky little things! They keep my days bright and make me sleep better at night (you know cause they're wild and I'm exhausted etc, etc. ha!).

We have lots of animals. I mean LOTS. Two dogs, Bear and PK (first name is Puppy and the K is the first letter of our last name. My toddler named her, don't judge haha), a cat named Sweetie Pie, a bunch of chickens and guineas, and a whole lotta cows. We also have a beta fish that my toddler named "Bobfish." Don't ask me why, I still can't figure out where she got that one from.

I'm currently a college student pursuing a career in Interdisciplinary Studies (teaching). I start student teaching the fall, which is super exciting. When I get done, I'll be certified in early childhood through sixth grade, and will also be able to teach ESL (English as a Second Language).

I loooooove to cook. In fact, my first career choice was to be a chef. I changed it after a year of college in Hospitality Management because it was more of a hobby for me and it made me sad that I would come home after cooking all day long and not want to cook anymore. Flash forward five years, and I use a lot of what I learned in that program to cook meals for my family.

I made this blog because all the cool kids have one. Just kidding. I made it because I think that I have something to offer the world in what I learn in my everyday life.

Just like what I plan to do as a career in the near future, I hope to teach you all a little something. Buckle up, Buttercup, it might be a wild ride!

Caitlyn