SORRY NOT SORRY

I love this letter and the kid who wrote it (whoever you are).

NEW Year. NEW you. NEW Towel.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I don't think 2013 was the most exciting year I've had. Yeah, I'm ready to do some traveling. To motivate myself, I have a really cool new Shandali travel towel. It's lightweight, easy to pack, and fast drying. It's made of 100% mircofiber material and has a little cloth hook on the end to hang it up to dry. I can use it, hang it up to dry, pack it up, and not have to worry about it getting stinky. 

It comes in two sizes and 3 colors that won't look dirty or bleed dye.

The perfect towel to take in your backpack when traveling, going to the gym, camping, yoga class-ing, or sunbathing at the beach.

PS they have a 100% money back guarantee you'll love it.

NOW…who wants to go somewhere with me?!

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.

TART CHERRY DRINKS - GIVEAWAY

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I often feel like the waiters at restaurants hate me when I reply with, "I'll just have water," after they ask me what I would like to drink. I'm not trying to be cheap. I just don't like soda.

But sometimes water gets boring and I need some flavor.

I recently had the chance to try Cheribundi Tart Cherry Refresh Juice and Tea Blends. They fresh press 20 unique Montmorency tart cherries (a method developed by Cornell University food scientists which allows them to maintain the nutrients without sacrificing the taste) per bottle.

I'm not a scientist, but I can tell you these drinks taste great.
For my picky friends, they are 100% natural, gluten free, and Certified OU kosher. Family farmers in Upstate New York and Michigan grow the cherries used in the drinks.

 I love cherries and have fond memories of picking them at my aunt's house when I was younger. She would provide me with a ladder and paper bag and told me I was allowed to keep all of the cherries I picked. I think she just didn't want birds trying to eat them and making a mess in her yard, but I didn't care about her reasons….I was taking cherries home!

Since the temperatures have been so low here in Utah, I left my bottles in the garage. Mother Nature acted as my refrigerator and even made the drinks a little slushy. It was delicious that way! I definitely recommend drinking them chilled for the best drinking experience.

As you can see by the delicious flavors (Cherry with Blueberry, Lemonade, Raspberry, Pomegranate, and Cranberry), it was hard for me to choose a favorite. I am going to say I could drink the Tart Cherry Raspberry Refresh and Tart Cherry Lemonade Refresh fruit drinks all day without any complaints. Some of the flavors are a little tart, but I personally like that.

If you like tea, you might also want to try these Tea Refresh blends. You can choose Tart Cherry with Black, Green, Jasmine, and Rooibos Teas. The tea flavors are very subtle in these drinks.

Each bottle contains antioxidants & nutrients, supports restful sleep, and helps promote healthy inflammation response. I also read this beverage is used by 90 professional and Division 1 sports teams.

Check out their website for more information, other products they offer and yummy recipes. You can also follow them on your social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, foursquare, and LinkedIn.

Want to try some? You can get printable coupons by joining their Cheribundi 7-Day Challenge! Just click that link and enter your information. The nice people at Cheribundi have allowed me to give some away. Enter below to win a variety box of fruit and tea Refresh.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PAN

When I lived in Oklahoma, the kids at the house would beg me to make them my special, fluffy, scrambled eggs EVERY morning. I was tired in the mornings and made a deal that I would make them every other day.

What's my secret? Add a little milk and use a good pan.

Want a recommendation on a good pan? Try the Green Earth Pan by Ozeri. 

The pan has a textured cooking surface for enhanced cooking. As you can read on the sticker in the photo, the pan uses 

GREBLONTM – a 100% PTFE and PFOA free ceramic non-stick superior coating from Germany. This allows for easy cleaning and cooking.

The Green Earth Pan name means there are no harmful heavy metals or chemicals. This pan also has a comfortable silicon coated handle that is induction stove safe.

The Ozeri pan is available in 8, 10, and 12 inch sizes. It also comes with a super cool pan protector to help protect the surface and coating of your Ozeri frying pan against scratches during storage. I love that.

I don't make many things that are super delicious, but I do make some yummy scrambled eggs!

Pet Blogger's Gift Exchange - PUPPY & CAT

Day-Z and I have made some new, cool friends.

You can meet them too at The Adventures of Puppy and Cat blog.

Cat is the clever human who writes and Puppy is the Australian Shepherd with eyes that will make your heart melt.

On their blog, you can find Youtube videos and super cute DIY projects like these homemade minty dog treats, paw print ornament, and (my favorite) framed Aussie silhouette.

These two have a great sense of humor, super crafty skills, and the most adorable friendship. Cat admits she gives Nailah a kiss goodbye whenever she leaves the house. I do the same for Day-Z every night before I go to sleep. 

Get to know them better by following them:

Youtube

Pinterest

Facebook

Twitter

Feel free to check out these other pet bloggers below as well.

CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE

My name is Deanna and I have a problem. Normally, I am not an impulse buyer. I can tell myself I don't need things and that's it. But when those after Christmas clearance signs pop up, I go crazy.
It's like I NEED it and become obsessed about it going on sale even more.

Is it just me?

HOLLYWOOD HALF MARATHON

Anyone want to run the Hollywood Half Marathon with me? Think New Year Resolution!

How can you say no to these medals?!

The Course takes you on a running tour through the heart of Hollywood.

PERSONALIZED PHOTO GIFT

At the end of the stairs in my parent's house is a cluster of photo frames. My photo is a shot from when I was Dairy Princess in 2000. I figured it was time for an update…and a perfect Christmas present.

FrameEvent.com is a newly launched site offering the tools and inspiration to create and personalize your favorite digital photos.

To celebrate the launch of the new site FrameEvent is currently offering a free print with every order, the user just needs to pay the shipping charges (which are very low).

This is what we created (with a little personalized note from Day-Z on our photo).

FrameEvent allows users to easily capture and personalize memorable events by providing the tools and creative elements needed to personalize digital photos, making it a great holiday gift idea! You don't have to be a digital photo editing expert to write names & dates on wedding/anniversary or school photos, add some flare to vacation candids, or a border on holiday shots on the site and completing the order is very simple.

Here are some examples from the site of some cute photos you can create:

We'll be ordering more prints because I'm pretty sure the moms LOVED it.

Visit FrameEvent to personalize some of those holiday photos you just took.

COWBOY SANTA & THE CHRISTMAS ELF

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Lola and I spent the day together while her brothers and sister went skiing.

We played "Christmas."

 She was cowgirl Santa.

Yee-haw!

I was her helper elf who was supposed to hand out the gifts she brought.

We're awesome, right?!

Jealous of our outfits? We got them from Private Island Party. They have a big variety of novelty items and costume accessories perfect for your themed party or play date with your niece. I'm pretty sure these elf boots can be used for Mardi Gras jester costume and the Santa cowboy hat might be brought out for a Valentine's Day rodeo. Look for more photos of them  in the future.

Private Island Party also has party supplies, decorations, and favors AND you can buy certain items in bulk if you need to. They ship all packages with a delivery confirmation number from USPS or UPS and have great customer service to make sure you are satisfied with your purchase. Check them out.

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.

GAME ON!

I've shared some winning present ideas for my mom in the past. Now, what to give my dad for Christmas? If you know my dad, you know he loves his computer games. I've come up with the idea of a Big Fish Games credit. Big Fish Games is a leading online game provider for computers, tablets, and smartphones. They have thousands of options for families and just recently added some games that are perfect for the holiday season! This means when my nephews come over to visit and sneak some electronics time away from their parents, they can play games as well.

You can try every game for free for the first hour so I recommend trying some out to find the one that you like. That way you won't spend your money on a game that turns out to not be your favorite.

So which one did we choose to try?

Bejeweled 3

There are 8 game modes, 40 quest puzzles, and 65 badges to earn in this version of the #1 puzzle game.

I figured this game would be great for the kiddies to play because you match the jewels by color. There are no hard words to spell (like the games I enjoy playing - hello Bookworm game). But it does take skill to match the jewels before time or space run out. Don't worry, all levels come with simple instructions and hints to help you play.
The butterflies puzzle is my favorite.

You can purchase games no matter your device. They offer PC, Mac, Online, iPad, iPhone, and Android games so everyone is happy.

A gift that is fun, educational, and awesome…I did it again thanks to Big Fish Games.

CHRISTMAS CARD PHOTO SHOOT

Day-Z and I had some photos taken for my Christmas cards this year.

 Don't mind the double chin

 Great action

 We went through A LOT of treats

She was so well behaved during the shoot. I'm surprised because she is normally very camera shy.

UNWANTED GIFT CARDS

Not everyone can give great Christmas gifts like I do (ahem). 

So what do you do when you get 8 Cinemark gift cards and there isn't a Cinemark theater within 40 miles of you (sorry Braxton)?

You can go to GiftCardRescue.com. GiftCardRescue’s mission is to make it easier for people to unlock the value in their unwanted gift cards. The company will buy gift cards from those who don’t want them and sell them to those who do.

So that means you can easily sell your unwanted Gift Cards for Cash or purchase some Discounted Gift Cards (up to 35%) for yourself from the site.

Worried this sounds shifty?

They Provide a 100% Money-Back Guarantee!

They will give you a full refund if:

• The gift card you received is not the card you purchased, or
• If the value on the gift card you received is different from what was advertised or indicated at checkout.

They will mail your check or exchange card within 48 hours after they receive your card and you will receive email updates about the status of your order. You can also easily track your order every step of the way by logging into your account and clicking on “Order History”.

BONUS: Exchange your gift card for an Amazon.com gift card and get 5% more over a cash payment (Deanna loves shopping at Amazon) AND all orders are shipped free to the continental U.S.

You can visit their testimonials page and see what real customers have to say about their service. GiftCardRescue has also been recommended by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Forbes, ABC, CBS, and many other highly reputable publications. Check them out for yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and their blog.

Turn that "Gee, thanks for the gift card I'll never use" gift into one you'll love.

GROOVY GRAVY #GIVEAWAY

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

This is the first holiday season Day-Z will spend with us. Our human Thanksgiving meal was so delicious, I wanted to make sure she received the same treatment. So we tried out Groovy Gravy.

She is a little picky about eating dry dog food, but not after I poured some of the Paw Lickin' Chicken on to enhance her dining experience. Groovy Gravy incorporates ultra-pure, highly absorbable, health-promoting Omega-3s into a (low calorie) delicious gravy you won't feel guilty about giving to your pet. 

What health claims can Omega-3s provide for your dog you ask? 

- Promotes a healthy, shiny coat

- Supports healthy cardiovascular function

- Supports a healthy immune system

So your cats don't get jealous, there are cleverly named flavors for them as well:

Dog – Paw Lickin’ Chicken, Give Beef a Chance & Power to the Sweet Potato

Cat – Paw Lickin’ Chicken, Turn on Tuna & Power to the Sweet Potato

Groovy gravy can be served once a day (or more) on dry food, poured into water or solo on a plate. Day-Z likes to add it to her dry food. It is available in foil stick packs with perforated easy edge open available in a 30-count carton for a one-month supply, a 9- count variety bag, and a 3-count pillow pack. We tried a variety bag to find out which gravy would be her favorite - the Paw Lickin' Chicken (maybe because she hears the neighbor chickens making noise every morning).

Day-Z asks: "Is there anything that could possibly make this product any better?!"

The answer is yes. It is made in USA certified.  Groovy Gravy Brands also supports the Onyx & Breezy Foundation, to benefit the welfare of animals, by donating 5% of the profits to the foundation.

This is so great we might be giving it to our dog friends as Christmas presents. (Don't tell Day-Z, but she has a packet waiting for her in her stocking this year.)

Want to win some? Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Like Groovy Gravy on Facebook &

Follow them on twitter

for discount, contest and event news, and chances to win things!

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.

PRESTO PHOTO

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

If you know me, then you know I like to take photos. I carry a camera with me everywhere. So what is the best gift idea in my opinion….photo gifts.

My mom likes to get a new calendar each year for Christmas. It's an easy gift. But what makes it and AWESOME gift? Adding photos of loved ones that really mean something to her.

My solution: a calendar with 12 months of Day-Z.

At PrestoPhoto you can also make fully customizable photo books

and greeting cards.

I ordered all three items for under $50 and they are great! Good quality and competitive prices are two things I look for when making photo gift purchases and the peeps at PrestoPhoto offer both.

Whichever project you choose to make, you can choose from several sizes, layouts, colors, and styles.

Once you figure out how the website works (that you need to drag and drop photos and layouts and that their are final touches you choose from after completing the project) the site is pretty easy to use. They also offer several different shipping options, have flat shipping rates, and ship internationally.

Check them out on Facebook & Twitter

Order your custom photo book today.

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.