VnC Cocktails - Review

Do you ever get tired of being the one stuck mixing all the drinks while everyone else is having a good time? VnC Cocktails are ready to serve premium cocktails! All you have to do is chill them, shake them and serve them. Of the eight in their collection, I received four to try.

The Vodka Mojito is very minty and delicious. A wonderful combination of vodka, natural Mojito flavor and lime juice! They use only the finest natural ingredients in their cocktails from New Zealand and around the world.  I love the convenient packaging...each bottle comes with its own cup and both are recyclable.

The Pacific Breeze is a very tropical drink and I can really taste the pineapple and coconut. This would be an awesome by-the-pool cocktail. This one is vodka, natural Mai Tai flavor, Coconut, Pineapple, and Lime. A few of these in an ice-bucket poolside...oh yeah.

My favorite of the four is the Pomegranate Cosmo. Made from vodka, triple sec, natural flavors, pomegranate, cranberry, and lime juice. It's very refreshing and I love that each VnC cocktail is 150 calories or less. These are a great little personal happy hour at the end of a long work day!

The VnC Margarita is made with tequila, triple sec, natural margarita flavors, lemon juice and lime juice. One of the best parts about ready to serve cocktails is the "bartender" can't mess it up with too much or too little of any ingredient. My husband liked the Margarita best. It's a good thing I wasn't driving after this review!

The other four flavors of VnC Cocktails include Vodka Strawberry Daquiri, Vodka Banana Daquiri, Vodka Mango Daquiri, and Passionfruit Caprioska. I can't wait to try the others. You can find out more about VnC Cocktails at http://www.vnccocktails.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!

Kentwool Fine Merino Wool Golf Socks - Review

Kentwood golf socks are no ordinary socks. Made from fine merino wool, these women's low profile skinny socks have natural moisture-wicking and odor-resistant properties. And they're pink (my favorite color)!

Kentwool uses a windspun air-infused technology to create an ultra-comfortable sock with extra cushioning to reduce stress and fatigue. These socks also provide support and protection against injury. Apparently being in business 168 years gives this family-owned textile manufacturer lots of insight into making excellent socks!

I seldom wear socks in the summer because the Texas heat and humidity make my feet miserable in shoes. I put on these Kentwool socks and they performed as advertised. My feet didn't sweat at all on a 90 degree day. They are very comfortable and hug my feet just right. I'm not a golfer, but I love these socks!

You can purchase Kentwool Fine Merino Wool Golf Socks for women and men at http://kentwool.com/. These wonderful socks would be a fabulous Father's Day Gift (but he probably won't want pink). Find Kentwool on Facebook and Twitter too!
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Welch's Fruit Snacks - Review

Say hello to Welch's Fruit Snacks! Made from real fruit and real fruit juices, these fruit snacks follow the same tradition of wholesome goodness of other Welch's products you know and trust. Every pack is fat free, gluten free and preservative free. Welch's Fruit Snacks are loaded 100% RDV of Vitamin C, and 25% RDV of Vitamins A and E. Best of all, they are delicious!

I poured one of the 1.75oz single serve pouches into my teenager's hand and he loved them. They also come in a 2.25oz package for big snackers or to share with friends. I personally loved them too! My favorite was the Berries and Cherries.

I poured a package into the hand of one of my three year old daycare boys. He could hardly wait for me to take the photo before stuffing them in his mouth and asking for more. Welch's Fruit Snacks come in lots of flavors - Mixed Fruit (strawberry, raspberry, orange, grape, peach), Berries and Cherries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cherry), Tangy Fruits (tangerine, lemon, pink grapefruit, cran-grape, cherry, green apple), Island Fruits (strawberry-banana, tropical punch, pink grapefruit, guava-kiwi, pomegranate-passion fruit), Fruit Punch, Strawberry, Concord Grape, White Grape Raspberry, and White Grape Peach.

My two year olds were very patient while I attempted to take this photo, but their tiny fingers kept trying to curl up around the snacks (that whole "mine" theory, I think). Both loved the snacks! There are also several flavors of Reduced Sugar Fruit Snacks (35% less sugar) - Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange, Concord Grape, and Peach. You can find Welch's Fruit Snacks at retailers nationwide and online at http://www.welchsfruitsnacks.com/. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!
Disclosure: I received these products at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review and Giveaway - How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time by Fred Fields

Golfing doesn't really appear that difficult. That is, until you try it. Fred Fields, the Weekend Golf Pro, has written a basic handbook for beginning golfers (and bad golfers) that doesn't read like a boring textbook. "How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time" is written in a light, easy to read language. Full of jokes and stories, Fields will entertain you while he teaches you how to play the game, how to hit the ball in a more natural way, and how to use strategies to help you hit a lower golf score. From the grip of the golf club to how to deal with sand shots, the author gives you straight talk and great tips. Learn how to hit straight and putt better. This book is 100 pages of easy reading that will make a great Father's Day Gift!
Disclosure: I received this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.


Want to win a copy of this book for your favorite golfer?

To enter, leave a blog post comment below, telling me what you love or hate about golf (and your email). This giveaway will end at midnight ET on 6/10/12. Open to US only; must be at least 18 years old. Good luck!

Tin Cup Golf Ball Marker - Review

Is your dad a golfer? My dad was. My husband also does some golfing. Their biggest complaint (next to losing the game) was losing sight of the ball. I mean, how do you REALLY know which ball belongs to you when four of you hit the ball 100 feet away? Here is a really unique Father's Day gift idea that solves just that problem! Tin Cup allows golfer's to make their individualized mark on the ball.

The Tin Cup comes in many different designs, so it's easy to find one just for your Dad. Maybe his Tin Cup is this Red Hot Chili Pepper that I received. Maybe he'd prefer something from their Military collection or their Collegiate collection. Perhaps he needs some luck in his game - get him the four leaf clover design! Maybe a martini design or a havana cigar design is more your dad. There are even designs for the ladies.

My Tip Cup golf ball marker arrived in this little red velvet drawstring bag with the permanent marker included. It took ten minutes for my husband to find a golf ball in the closet. It took me ten seconds to mark the ball. Just put the ball in the tip cup and color in your favorite icon with your favorite color marker. This little chili pepper looks fantastic and is perfect for our Texas heat.

Check out the #1 Dad Tin Cup and the Father's Day Gift Package at http://www.tin-cup.com. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn about special promotions like "Birdies for the Brave."
Disclosure: I received these products at no charge in exchange for my honest review. 

Grow Tomatoes with Avant Garden

I admit it. I've never grown tomatoes. I recently received the Gardener’s Blue Ribbon® Ultomato Tomato Plant Cage to review. This year, it looks like I'm going to grow my own tomatoes! I headed out to the store with my $10 gift card from Klout to purchase two plants. The lady in the garden department at Home Depot was so helpful to me. She showed me how to plant them and how to feed them. I didn't even realize you had to feed tomato plants!

I picked a spot in my backyard right outside my kitchen windows. The area gets full sun until about 2pm each day and since I'm in Texas, I'll need to water daily. I dug two shallow holes side by side and dropped in the tomato plants, putting tomato food in first and then sprinkling more around the stalk after planting. One of my plants already has two little green tomatoes on it and the other has some yellow blooms so I'm hoping I actually get to eat my own tomatoes.

The plants look so tiny and cute. The lady in the garden department warned me that my plants will (read as "should") grow to be about five feet tall and encouraged me to buy a tomato plant cage. Since I'd already received one from Avant Garden Decor, I was set. My husband helped me assemble the Ultomato Tomato Plant Cage and we pushed the stakes down into the ground easily.

It took just minutes to assemble because all the pieces just snap together with no tools needed. They are strong steel core stakes covered with a thick plastic coating, designed for climbing vines. The support clips can be moved up and down as needed. If my gardening experiment fails, I can easily take it apart and store it conveniently under the shelf in the garage (though I'm hoping I don't kill the plants). The three stakes don't have to be in a triangle but since I have just two plants I don't feel the need to expand it right now. I can hardly wait to see them growing up the sides of the tomato cage!

You can purchase all kinds of garden accessories at http://www.avantgardendecor.com and if you follow them on Facebook, you'll be first to hear about promotions and new products!
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Father's Day Dale and Thomas Popcorn - Giveaway and Review

Dads probably get tired of getting ties and screwdrivers for Father's Day. This year, show him you appreciate and love him in a tasteful new way! Dale and Thomas Popcorn has put together the Father's Day Four Pack Sampler so you can give Dad the gift of gourmet popcorn.

This Four-Pack Sampler is already wrapped up for gift-giving with a blue bow and a special #1 Dad tag. The box is stuffed full of Dale and Thomas Hall of Fame Kettle Corn, Dale's Caramel Corn, White Cheddar and Black Peppercorn, and Cinnamon Sugar Swirl popcorn. It's a delicious combination of sweet and salty that your dad is sure to love!

I've never had Cinnamon Sugar Swirl popcorn before so it was the first bag we popped open and it is a simply amazing combination of tastes. Everyone in my family loved as well as all my daycare kids. It disappeared quickly! Gourmet popcorn from Dale and Thomas is a delectable way to say Happy Father's Day! You can purchase this and many other gourmet gifts at http://www.daleandthomaspopcorn.com. You can find them on Facebook too. Then enter to win this Four-Pack Sampler below!
Disclosure: I received these products at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Win a Dale and Thomas Father's Day Four-Pack Sampler!
To enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be at least 18 years old and live in the 48 contiguous US states (no PO boxes). Only the first entry is mandatory; all other entries will increase your chances to win. This giveaway ends at midnight ET on 6/10/12. Good luck my friends!

Steve's Original Just Jerky and WeightTraining.com - Review and Giveaway

Well, the year is half over. How are your New Year's Resolutions going? Have you lost thirty pounds? Have you exercised more? Have you been eating healthier meals? Sometimes it is so hard to stick to those resolutions. If you are looking for healthier, more natural foods and snacks, then you have to try Steve's Original Just Jerky. It is absolutely, positively delicious. My family is definitely full of meat-lovers. (We tried to go vegan once and it lasted 21 days.) Steve's Original store is full of delicious, healthy snacks like their signature PaleoKits full of jerky, nuts, and berries. But if you're looking for just jerky, this is it!

I opened the vacuum-sealed pouch of jerky and poured it out on the plate to taste it. I figured I'd eat one or two pieces to taste it, then let my son (a huge jerky lover) finish the rest of the plate. About ten amazingly delicious pieces later, he walked into the kitchen. I sheepishly offered him the few pieces that were left. My husband took one of the other Just Jerky packages to work with him and told me later that night that he sat at his desk and couldn't stop eating it either. It's just that good. I also love that every purchase from this company helps to save lives. You can purchase Just Jerky at http://stevesoriginal.com and enter to win below. Follow Steve's Original on Facebook and Twitter for the newest releases and special promotions.

This giveaway is sponsored by Sponsored by WeightTraining.com. Find WeightTraining on Facebook and Twitter.

Win a delicious 5-Pack of Steve's Original Just Jerky!
To enter just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. You must be a US resident, at least 18 years old. Only the first entry is mandatory; bonus entries will increase your chances to win. This giveaway will end at midnight ET on 6/15/12. Good luck!

3D Laser Gifts - Review

Some occasions happen just once in your life. Mark those extra special occasions with a gift they will never forget. One of my darling daycare girls just graduated and heads to kindergarten this fall. She's been here since the day she turned 18 months old. I found a photo on my hard drive of her in "full giggle mode" and decided it was the perfect preschool graduation gift for her.

3D Laser Gifts are so easy to order - just choose the size and shape of the crystal, upload a high resolution photo, and order. It came with the 3D laser crystal, engraved with her name and graduation date, plus a light base that plugs into an electrical outlet. When I took the crystal out of the box, I was very impressed with the quality and the intricacy of the details. Then when I put it on the light base and turned on the light, it was so beautiful it took my breath away.

I was so excited to give this gift to her. When she opened it her eyes got really big. I helped her set it up and showed her how to turn the light on with the little push button on the back of the light base. She was so excited and just loved it. She told me she was going to use it as a nightlight in her bedroom. She said "Every time I turn it on, I'm going to think of you, Miss Lisa." I had to choke back tears. These little ones sure hook themselves into my hearts. I will miss her.

You can purchase a 3D Laser Photo Crystal at http://www.3dlasergifts.com/. These would make fabulous Father's Day gifts, Wedding Gifts, Birthday Gifts, and even Memorial Gifts. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Grill Charms Grilling Accessories - Review and Recipe

Got picky eaters? Me too! My husband likes things WAY over-spiced. I like things spiced just right, not too hot and not too mild. My teenage boys don't like much spice at all. These new Grill Charms are the perfect way to personalize the steaks! To celebrate the beginning of a much needed weekend, we splurged on some beautiful steak cuts and even a cold shrimp cocktail ring. 

We pulled out the Olde Westport Steak Dry Rub since we hadn't tried it yet and my husband prepared the steaks for the three of us that were here for dinner - mild, medium and hot - making sure to push a stainless steel Grill Charm into each one that appropriately marked our spice preferences. Grill Charms come in several different designs - Spicy Collection, Steak Collection, Charmed Life Collection, and Pink Collection.

Johnny also prepared some stuffed peppers for grilling. It was a quick, easy recipe for Bacon Cream Cheese Grilled Peppers: Clip off the top of the pepper and clean out the seeds. Wash your hands of pepper juice and don't rub your eyes! Then spoon cream cheese and bacon bits into a plastic baggie; squish to mix. Cut off one corner of the bottom of the baggie and squeeze the bag (like a pastry bag) so the bacon cream cheese squirts into the peppers. Fold aluminum foil up around the peppers to help them stand upright while grilling. 

The steaks and peppers were placed on the grill for heating, while I prepared a four cheese rice with bacon salt in the kitchen. My son set the table and my husband flipped the steaks. (Notice the hungry teenager drooling over the deck railing.)

The Grill Charms are guaranteed to stay in the steaks during grilling, even when flipped upside down. Their edges are corrugated to help them stay put. All three of our "charming" grilling accessories lived up to the test! A couple of our peppers tipped over a bit, but they didn't leak their cheese. 

The steaks turned out absolutely perfect and everyone got the correctly spiced piece of meat. The peppers were delicious. (I only eat the top bite, then give the bottom to my husband because most of the spicy taste drains to the bottom of the pepper during grilling). The cheesy bacon rice was amazing and the shrimp cocktail rocked. A deliciously wonderful start to the weekend. We all ate too much and even my dog got a few pieces of steak to nibble (he doesn't care how spicy his steak turns out). 

You can purchase Grill Charms at http://grillcharms.com/ and save 10% on your purchase when you put "twitter" in the coupon code. What a wonderful Father's Day Gift! Be sure to follow on Facebook and Twitter too.

Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop
sponsored by Planet Weidknecht and Beck Valley Books.
I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today.

I wish you a blessed weekend!

Please leave your links below so I can visit you.

Check out my giveaways HERE!

Cook'n Recipe Organizer - Review

Cook'n Recipe Organizer is a great way to keep track of your favorite recipes. It allows you to search the internet for the perfect recipe. It also allows you to enter the ingredients you have on hand and searches the internet for recipes that match those ingredients. It captures recipes from the internet and lets you import them into your own recipe library. It's as easy as clicking the Capture button!

You can add your own recipes, print a a family cookbook, and download new recipes every week. Print recipes on 3x5 cards, 4x6 cards, or an 8.5x11 sheet. Cook'n will even adjust recipe ingredient sizes to match the number of guests you enter so you can take a small recipe and feed a crowd with it. Easily share recipes with friends or use the menu planner to organize your family's weekly meals, plus you can send the ingredients shopping list to your phone so grocery trips are a breeze. There is also a nutritionist feature that allows you to analyze your meals.

You can purchase the Cook'n Recipe organizer HERE and watch THIS video for more information. Check them out on Facebook too. This is a great program for organizing all your recipes!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.