It’s been almost a month since I got my new HP Pavilion Laptop. I have to say I really do love this thing. It is bigger then my old laptop, but that is okay as it comes with a blue-ray player and I can hook it up to my TV, something I’m very excited about. I wasn’t sure at first if I would like a bigger laptop. I really loved the size of my old one and how light it was, but once I got this 17″ one I found that though it does weigh a little more it’s not too bad. I also love the sleek design and that it comes with a built in keypad. I missed having a keypad on my other laptop.

What I really love about this laptop is that I can add a ton of memory if I want to. It has 4gb right now, but I can expand that up to 8gb and I may just have to do that. I use my laptop for everything and having one that runs fast is a must for me. This runs great now, but I’m sure as with all computers I will eventually want to add more memory.

The espresso black finish is also pretty cool, it’s different and shows my creative side a little more. I hate plain jane laptops that don’t show any personality. I think that’s why I’m in interior design, I love to be creative and have fun. There is of course a downside to this laptop. It does not have bluetooth, something I used a lot with my old one. I may end up buying a new wireless card though, so I will probably try to find one with bluetooth capability.

Buying this hp laptop also introduced me to Windows 7. I like it though I have noticed that there are a few bugs still. I’m sure a few more updates will take care of that and I won’t have to worry about the few things that bother me.

I received this product Free from the makers of Country Bob’s sauce. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love trying new food and when I got a chance to try Country Bob’s all purpose sauce I jumped at the chance. I decided to take the bottle of sauce over to my friends as we were making steaks for dinner. We used the sauce to cook our steaks and then added more for dipping. I really was impressed with the flavor of this sauce. It wasn’t too strong, but it was strong enough to hold up well as a marinade or as a dipping sauce. I was really hoping to try it out on my grill soon, but the weather has just been to cold to even think about standing outside that long.

My friends also liked the sauce and were wondering where they could get it. I noticed that it’s sold at our local Walmart and that it’s really not badly priced at all. I love how you can use it for anything too. I’m thinking once the weather gets warmer using some in hamburgers and maybe on some grilled chicken. Of course my need to grill with the sauce could be because I am so over winter and very, very ready for summer!

I do have to recommend this sauce to anyone looking for something a little different that can be used on a lot of different things. It really is a great and versatile product and a must have for anyone’s pantry

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

How do you feel about Tofurky? Well if your not sure or don’t want to even attempt to find it you may want to check out Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda it’s an interesting blend that is suppose to taste like Tofurky. I’ve never had Tofurky, but I will have to say I was not thrilled with this drink and neither were my family members who also tried it. That said I have talked to people who love this soda, so I guess it really comes down to personal taste. To me it was kind of sweet, but at the same time bitter. It was not horrible by any means, but not something I would choose to drink. My friend though would probably love to get it as a gift as she finished off what I had in one go!

Along with my soda I received a pretty cool turkey hat that my sisters boyfriend put on and did not take off until he went to bed. Isn’t he so cute! Yep that would be him in the picture and the one below is my sister, well one of them anyway. She smelled the soda, but refused to try it. I think I may end up giving them the hat for Christmas though, they both really loved it!

Who does not love chocolate? Okay I know there are a few people but I am not one of them. That was why I was so happy to receive a copy of Chocolate A Love Story by Max Brenner to review. Now since I’m diabetic I did have some help from my family when doing the review as I could only eat a small amount of what was made.

Overall everyone loved the recipes we did try and we have a few planned for the upcomming holiday. The recipes are fun and put together in a way that makes you want to try them. The book itself is full of great art that does complement the recipes. The only downside to this book is that there are no actual pictures of the food, but it’s more of a personal preference and once I got use to the idea I was fine with it.

This is a book I would go out and buy for my friends and family. It’s just handy to have around when you want to make something different and fun. Think bake sales, potlucks and parties when you look at this book and you will realize that you actually will use these recipes a lot.

We have tried only a few of the recipes so far my favorite is A Therapeutic Chocolate Pot Pie. It’s creamy yummy goodness. I would have had a picture for you, but everyone ate it too quickly! I’m thinking I may make it again for Christmas. Yes it was that good.

I love music and getting music as a gift is always a great idea. I recently was selected by One 2 One Network to review the Download for the new Five For Fighting CD being released October 12th. I decided after listening to it that I needed to include this cd in my holiday gift guide. It’s a very good CD, now it’s good if you like this type of music so I’m not saying it’s something for everyone, but I think most people would like it. You probably have already heard Chances as it was the first single released from the album back in July.

From the Press Release:

If every album provides snapshots of where an artist’s mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroids. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It’s a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums.

Album Tracklisting:
1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can’t Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

The first song on this CD is probably my favorite and it’s also the albums title, Slice really touches on the world today and how it has changed over the years. It’s one of these songs that makes me want to go out and just drive around in my car, actually it makes me want to go find someone with a convertible to drive around with!

Also from the Press Release:

The title track, featuring Ondrasik’s soaring falsetto, comes from a daydream that we’ve all had at some point in our lives—that moment when we long for a simpler time when life seemed better and the songs were bigger. It’s a sly play on one of those grand songs, Don McClean’s “American Pie”: “There was a time a long, long time ago/Chevies and levies played on the radio/No cell phones just 20,000 lights, swaying on a Saturday night.”

The rest of the songs are also very good, they follow the same feel that Five for Fighting is known for, it’s music that you can feel good about playing no matter who is in the room. John Ondrasik’s voice is very unique, he has talent and it shows in his songs. There is something about how he sings that makes you feel what the song is about,  be it a person, a time or a place.

I also love that this is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and will be a download on iTunes. So if you want the actual CD it is available or you can download it to your computer or iPod.

* I received this download for free for this review. All opinions are my own.

Yesterday I went to the store and saw smart food popcorn snacks. I have wanted to try these for a while and I decided that yesterday was the day. I picked up the cranberry almond and was very excited about it. I didn’t realize that the snacks I picked up came in small packages so that you can take them with you wherever you go. I think that is the best part about it.

If you like popcorn and sweet things this flavor is for you. The cranberry makes it sweet without the extra sugar that you find in chocolate. The almonds add fiber that works well with the popcorn to keep you full. Over all I have to say I love it and there is nothing that I have to say that is negative about this product, well okay you may want to eat more then one bag!

My Rating
10/10

Comments Closed

I love trying new things and being able to enjoy relaxing at the end of the day. I was sent a wonderful Delight Your Day gift pack by Yoplait that included slippers, an eye mask, a robe and a coupon to try Yoplait Delights for free. Now I had seen these in the store and wanted to buy them, but I never got around to it. The other day I took my coupon to the store and picked up the chocolate raspberry parfait.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like it and to be honest at first I didn’t, but I kept eating and it grew on me. I decided that in order to write a good review I should probably have another one, so the next night I tried it again and I still liked it. I think I’d like the caramel one more, as I love caramel, but no store close to me carries it.

As for the gift pack I received: I love the slippers they are comfortable and not too large and they are perfect for warm weather. They eye mask is wonderful and just helps me to relax even more, putting it in the freezer has helped my recent headaches and the robe has come in handy a few times this week. Now I know your jealous of me and your thinking “share the wealth!” Well, you are in luck as I have one gift pack to give away!

The gift pack includes

Coupon for Free Yoplait Delights Yogurt

Robe

Slippers

Eye mask

To enter all you need to do is one or all of the following:

Please leave a comment for each entry

* Comment- Tell me what you do to relax

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* Tweet this and leave a link to your status update: (You may tweet this once per day. Please leave a comment for each tweet.) Win A Yopliat Yogurt Gift Pack@saveyspender PL RT http://tinyurl.com/m6hten

The contest ends on September 25th at 8pm EST. The winner will be announced in a post that day after 8 pm.

Open only to US residents (the coupons are only valid in the US)

I was provided with this information and the Delight Your Day gift pack from MyBlogSpark

Recently I was given the opportunity at the Product Review Place to review the Simply Salads cookbook. This book is written by Jennifer Chandler and it is a great composition of salad recipes that are made from prepackaged salad mixes. This cookbook gives great ideas to anyone who doesn’t have much time or is not very creative when it comes to food.

I have tried a couple of the recipes over the last week and I love what I have tried so far. Simply Salads makes eating healthy fun and creates variety in my diet. The only thing I didn’t like about this cookbook is that there are no calorie counts or other health information. This is true of many cookbooks and I only notice because I have to for health reasons., so it doesn’t qualify as a reason not to get this book. The good news is since the recipes do call for packaged greens you can figure out what the calorie and carbohydrate counts are.

I love the poultry salad recipes because they make great lunches. I paired mine with soup and a whole grain roll to meet my needs, but the salads themselves are very filling. My favorite recipe is the Black and Blue Chicken Salad. I love blue cheese and this just looked delicious in the book. It’s also very simple to make. I made mine with pre-cut chicken breast strips. I would have a picture for you, but it was deleted from my camera by my niece. I have though included the recipe for you to try:

Black and Blue Chicken Salad

Makes 4 dinner salads

Black and Blue in the good sense! Tangy blue cheese is a great compliment for the spicy blackened chicken in this salad.

For the salad:

1/4 cup Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 tablespoons blackening seasoning

1 bag (5 ounces) Spring Mix salad blend

2 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

For the Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette:

Place vinegar and mustard in a small bowl and whisk together. Slowly add the oil in a stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad:

Heat a clean grill to medium-high. Season both sides of the chicken with the blackening seasoning. Grill until no longer pink in the middle, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.

In a large salad bowl toss the salad blend with the vinaigrette to taste. Divide the salad among the individual plates. Top with the tomatoes, blue cheese, and sliced chicken. Serve immediately.

Tip: If you don’t own a grill, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron or heavy oven-proof skillet until a few water droplets sizzle in pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side, and then bake in a 395°F oven until no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes.

Self esteem is a huge part of our lives, some of us have great self esteem while some of us do not. If your one of the many looking for insight as to how you achieve good self esteem then I have a book for you to read. It’s called Morning Sunshine!: How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too and is written by Robin Meade Anchor of  HLN’s Morning Express.

This book, for me showed up at the right time. My self esteem has been so low that I think it’s in the negative category. When this book came in the mail my first thought was “Seriously I have to try to read this now.” Yep, I was that bad. I also figured it would be a lot like the other self help books I have read. Dull and containing nothing that would actually help me in my life. I was wrong, really really wrong.

Not only is the writing in this book so engaging that I actually found myself not wanting to put it down, it is written in a way that makes you feel like you want to be friends with Robin. You almost feel like she’s right there talking to you and trying to help you directly. If I hadn’t had so much to do the last 2 days I probably would have read it in one sitting. it’s fun, informative and real. You don’t get that fake feeling you get with many self help books. Another thing I love about this book is that Robin does not tell you how to live your life she tells you how she lived her life, how it effected her self esteem and how she fixed the problems she was having. Then she gives you tips that may help you. It is not a step by step book on how to change your life, it’s more of a realization of how we need to stop and take time to appreciate what is around us right now.

As I write this I’m actually watching Robin on TV. I had never watched the show before, but I became curious after reading Morning Sunshine!. She’s just as fun on TV as she is in the book and I have to say I see how far she has come in her own life, it’s inspiring. This book is really for someone who needs a real solution to their thinking. Not someone pretending that they know what they are doing.

Of course like every self help type book there is the downside. It won’t work for everyone, if you don’t have an open mind or problems like Robin has you may not like this book much. If you keep an open mind and look at what she has to say you should at least come out of it with a warm fuzzy feeling of “I can do whatever I want.”

Think this book is for you? Well, you could win one of 5 copies of this book. Here is how:

Please leave a comment for each entry

*(Mandatory Entry) Leave a comment about what self esteem is to you. What traits do you look for in a person with good self esteem? Do you have good or bad self esteem?

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* Tweet this and leave a link to your status update: (You may tweet this once per day. Please leave a comment for each tweet.) Improve your self esteem win the book Morning Sunshine http://tinyurl.com/l8nbk4 @saveyspender PL RT

The winners will be chosen using Random.org. The winners will be announced on September 17th. The contest ends on September 17th at 8pm EST. Winners will have 3 days to claim their prize. I will be using the email provided in your comment to contact you. Please make sure this email is one you check often.

Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.

No PO boxes please

I was given the opportunity to review this book from The Product Review Place.