Made By Munchie's Mama: Candy Cane Valentine's Day Suckers Tutorial

Such an adorable Valentine's Day treat! lol now I know I just posted all about tips on how to cut calories ... but how can you say no to these!

Thank you MADE BY Munchie's Mama for another fabulous post!

POST DESCRIPTION: Made By Munchie's Mama: Candy Cane Valentine's Day Suckers Tutorial:   When I saw this tutorial at the Idea Room I knew right away how I was going to add my little twist!  I am not a fan of peppermint candy...

78 Ways to Cut Fat Calories from Your Diet | Yahoo! Health

78 Ways to Cut Fat Calories from Your Diet | Yahoo! Health

Yes, it is that time of year. The holidays are over and the new year has begun. After eating yummy and rich foods the last 2 ... okay let's be honest 3 months lol, it is now time to get back into shape! I actually do enjoy exercising; however, I have to admit, I also enjoy eating! Thanks to the dozens of helpful blogs out there that offer tasty yet healthy recipes, I am getting better at managing what I eat. After going through a few articles on Yahoo Health, I came across a great list that helps you cut out some of the sugars and calories that I normally wouldn't have even considered. I hope that you find it helpful as well!

Some Helpful Skin Care Tips :)

Today while reading through some of the blog posts I am subscribed to, I came across some very helpful skin care tips courtesy of Delighted Momma. I am guilty of not doing many of these simple little tips *cough*I don't clean my makeup brushes nearly often enough*cough*... I can't imagine that I am the only one (or at least I hope not or I will be really embarrassed lol). So, with that being said here are a few helpful tips you may find useful enough to add to your own beauty regimen.

If you have any tips that you yourself know about and are not listed PLEASE feel free to post them in the comments section :D.

*How to clean your makeup brushes*

*3 simple tips for better skin*

*DIY baking soda exfoliator*

*Sunscreen*

For more beauty care tips, craft ideas, and recipes, visit: http://www.delightedmomma.com/

Valentine's Day Printables!

Only a month away till Valentine's day! For some, that may seem like a ways away, but for others the planning process has already begun! I have already begun the my creative process and have been working on activities and recipes for the date :). I know that I can't be the only one out there getting an early start so as a gift from me to you, I have put together a few cute printables that you can print and share :D. I hope that you all enjoy them! I only ask that if you plan on sharing them on your own blog or website please link them back here or post credit back to this page :).

You may have to resize these to fit whatever style you want with your own paint programs. most PCs come with a basic Paint program that will allow you to edit and resize :)

JUST RIGHT-CLICK AND SAVE THE IMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER :)

PRINTABLE VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS:

PRINTABLE VALENTINE'S DAY THEMED TIC-TAC-TOE GAME

 

Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ Dog Food

Anyone who really knows me is aware of the fact that I am the very proud mommy to a darling chihuahua named Hershey.

Yes, that is my sweetie pie! She truly is queen bee of my home. That being said, anyone that really knows her, knows that is an eater! She isn't a picky eater by any means, but I do tend to mix things up every now and then by adding a little variety to her diet.

As a Bzzagent with www.bzzagent.com, I was given the wonderful opportunity of trying Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ Dog Food. let me start off my review by posting the "Just the Facts" straight from the bzzagent website:

Just the Facts

New Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ dog food contains the perfect balance of natural ingredients to keep your dog in tip-top shape. What else will your friends want to know?

Includes fresh chicken as the 1st ingredient
Contains fruits and vegetables, including cranberries
Noticeably improves your dog's skin and coat
Contains no corn or artificial colors
Available in Puppy, Adult and Mature Adult varieties
Sold at pet specialty stores (including Petco, PetSmart and neighborhood pet stores)

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Using a coupon code available to bzzagents taking part in the campaign, I was able to get a 4 lb bag of the new blend free of charge. I am not going to lie to you, the food is a bit pricey ($10.99-$12.99 for a 4 lb bag online NOT including shipping), BUT I really did see a difference in my darling pooch.

Hershey has not only leaned up a bit, but her energy levels have shot through the roof! My normally lazy chihuahua is now more interested in play time. She just seems like a younger dog since the food switch! I am NOT in anyway guaranteeing that these results will happen for your dog, but they seemed to have worked wonders for mine. After witnessing the wonderful changes in Hershey, I visited petMD to learn more about a dogs balanced diet. Here is some useful information:

What's in a balanced dog diet?
Hill's Pet Nutrition and petMD.com, the leading pet health website, have teamed up to develop petMD.com/mybowl, a great resource about how nutrients help ensure optimal health and how much of each should be in your dog's food:

Carbs – give your dog the energy to run and play and provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber to maintain optimal health

Proteins – provide the building blocks for strong muscles, and are essential for your pet's growth, maintenance and energy

Fats and oils – provide energy, help with vitamin absorption, keep the nervous system working normally and make food taste better

Vitamins – provide antioxidants to strengthen the immune system and create the proper balance for your pet's good health

Minerals – help your dog's body to grow, stay strong and promote good health


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I am very pleased with Science Diet and will be purchasing a larger bag once my darling has finished this one.

For more information on preparing or purchasing a balanced meal for your special pooch, visit:

http://www.petmd.com/mybowl

For more information about becoming a Bzzagent such as myself, visit:

www.bzzagent.com

Oh Christmas Tree!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! We put up our lovely Christmas tree and it really does fill the entire room with holiday cheer! We spent the whole morning going through boxes of decorations and ornaments while listening to Christmas music on the satellite stations.

It was really interesting looking over the ornaments and realizing how old many of them are. We have an adorable set of white reindeer with red antlers. Out of the 8 of them only 1 reindeer is completely intact. The others are all missing something... whether it be and antler, leg, or scarf lol. We just don't have the heart to throw any of them out. They have been on our tree for as long as I can remember. Maybe this year I will try repair them or at least give them a fresh coat of white paint.

Now that the tree is up, we can focus on getting the rest of the house decorated! Tangled lights and garland, here we come!

Kindle Review

So I have had my kindle for over a week now. How do I feel? More like...how did I ever live without one!?! I feel like such a traitor to my lovely paperbacks, but it is just so hard not to fall in love with this device. I am no longer squirming around trying to find comfort AND balance my book without losing my page! So before I go on and on here is a list of some of the features you can expect from your Kindle Keyboard 3G :) : (The following list is straight from Amazon.com)

Most Advanced E Ink Display
Kindle's high-contrast E Ink display delivers clear, crisp text and images that you can read without eye strain. For extended periods of reading, E Ink displays deliver the best reading experience.

Read in Bright Sunlight
Kindle's E Ink screen reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room.

Lighter Than a Paperback
At only 8.5 ounces and 1/3 of an inch thin, Kindle Keyboard is lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine.

Holds 3,500 Books
Carry up to 3,500 books--keep your library with you wherever you go.

Two Month Battery Life
A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time.

Free 3G Wireless
No annual contracts, no monthly fees. Download books anytime, anywhere. Learn more.

Global 3G Coverage
Travel the globe and still get books in under 60 seconds with wireless coverage in over 100 countries and territories. Check wireless coverage.

Built-In Wi-Fi
Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots at home or on the road. Includes free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hotspots across the U.S.

Quiet Page Turn Buttons
Quiet page turning means you won't disturb your partner when you want to read all night.

Share Meaningful Passages
Share meaningful passages with friends and family with built-in Twitter and Facebook integration.

Simple to Use
Kindle Keyboard is ready to use right out of the box - no setup, no software to install, no computer required.

PDF Reader
Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go.

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Let's face it, books get expensive. I have a collection of over 600 books (both paperback and hardcover) and I don't even want to think about the collected cost of them all. What I love about owning the Kindle, is the HUGE selection of free e-books! I have started a library of about 102 books on my kindle ... all of them free. Where can you find these you may ask? Well there are several websites, and many are found right on amazon! Not only does Amazon provide a large selection of free content, but they also list many other places to find choice reading material. A places include:

1. www.Amazon.com in their Limited-time Promotional Offers or Kindle Popular Classics directory.

2. archive.org - Internet Archive is a non-profit dedicated to offering permanent access to historical collections that exist in digital format. Provides over 2.5 million free ebooks to read, download, and enjoy.

3. openlibrary.org - Open Library's goal is to provide a page on the web for every book ever published.

4. gutenberg.org - Project Gutenberg, one of the original sources of free ebooks, is dedicated to the creation and distribution of eBooks.

5. manybooks.net - ManyBooks.net provides free ebooks as a service to the Internet community at large.

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I also love how quickly the Kindle works, whether you are using it to search for an download books or reading a book, the load times are minimal and almost non-existent if just reading a novel. Internet speed may seem a tad slow, but I feel it moves just as quickly as the internet on my smartphone so it is just another wonderful perk of this amazing device.

As you can see I am a truly happy gal. I adore my kindle and I am so pleased with how well it functions. If you are considering purchasing one yourself, please do not hesitate! They are wonderful!

Thank you www.Bzzagent.com for another wonderful opportunity! This is Bzzagent Mary signing out until the next campaign :)

If you are interested in purchasing a kindle yourself and would like more information please visit: www.amazon.com and click the kindle department.

If you are interested in becoming a bzzagent such as myself please visit. www.bzzagent.com

Kindle Arrived!!

Wow, I feel like I am celebrating Christmas early! Just the other day I received my free Amazon Kindle for my www.Bzzagent.com BzzCampaign. I LOVE IT! I am a girl that has been reading since the day I could form words all by myself, and even before that I was read a bedtime story every night :). Books have always been a huge part of my life. It is amazing how a flat piece of technology actually makes me feel as if I am holding a real book. The technology they use is amazing. You aren't looking at your run of the mill led screen. Here is an excerpt from the Kindle User's guide to explain more:

"Kindle uses a high-resolution display technology called electronic paper. It works using ink just like books and newspapers, but it displays the ink particles electronically. The page flash you see when you turn the page is part of the ink placement process.
The electronic paper display is reflective, which means unlike most displays, you can read it clearly even in bright sunlight. Also, electronic paper does not need power to hold the ink in place, which extends your Kindle’s battery life."

It literally look like you are looking at a page in a book! Immediately I knew I was going to love my kindle.

As for books, I wanted to get a feel for the device before I started spending loads of money on books. Lucky for me, Amazon has hundreds of free books straight off of their website! I am a romance junkie and I was able to download about 70 or so romance novels free! They are always having special offers from new and more renown authors. If romance isn't your cup of tea, don't be discouraged. There are many different genres with many free reads. I was amazed.

The device is super easy to use and since it uses the electronic paper technology, my battery life seems to go on forever!

This is just the start of my review. As I test out more features I will add to it :). For now, know that I HIGHLY recommend this device to anyone book lover! Thank you Amazon and thank you Bzzagent for once again connecting me with another fabulous campaign!

Would you like to learn more about becoming a Bzzagent such as myself? Visit www.Bzzagent.com for more information.