Lint Remover by Furzie Review

I love "As Seen on TV" products. The problem is that they usually don't live up to the promises that are made on the infomercials. I got a chance to try out the Lint Remover by Furzie to see if it lived up to its claims.

 Here is what the Furzie is SUPPOSED to do: The Lint Remover by Furzie will get dog or cat hair off of a variety of surfaces, and it gets human hair and lint off too. Furzie can be used on many types of clothing, upholstery or furniture. Works on many fabrics: cotton, linen, cashmere, silk, flannel and wool. It is 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

 I tried the Lint Remover by Furzie on my cotton tweed couch to remove the hair left my my dog, but it didn't get up many of her short white furs. I then tried it on yoga pants, another magnet for dog fur. Nope, didn't work. I tried it on my black cotton work pants. No dice- it mostly just moved the fur around. I was pretty disappointed, so I tried to use it as a duster on my windowsill  That actually did work pretty well-it is well designed for dusting. However, it's not marketed for that, and I think I could probably find a better duster.

 Feeling a little deflated, as this is the first product I've reviewed that didn't live up to its claims and I thought I would feel bad writing a negative review, I contacted the company that sells the Lint Remover by Furzie. I expected them to respond with some tips or tricks to help me use it, or for them to apologize for my dissatisfaction with the Furzie. Instead they said, "That seems very strange to us as the product has worked for 135 reviewers?" That's all. No apologies, no suggestions. I was shocked! Most companies are so helpful if you have a problem!

 I can honestly say this is the most unhelpful, dissatisfying, and downright rude response I have ever had when I've written to a company. I felt they were questioning my integrity and competence. So although I had high hopes for the Lint Remover by Furzie, based on my experience I would not suggest buying this product or doing business with this company in the future. I guess I will have to continue in my quest for a useful as seen on TV product!

 **I received this product at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.**

Savvy Baby Bandana Bibs: So cute!

These bandana bibs by Savvy Baby are so cute and functional too!  I got the 4 pack, which gives you the most for your money.  The 4 pack also comes with a bonus pacifier clip in coordinating colors.  The pacifier clip can also be used to hold a blankie or stuffed animal.

What's great about them?

• Super cute styles that are great for boys or girls because the colors are gender-neutral.  These colors can match with any outfit, too.
• They're 100% cotton .
• They are the softest bibs I've ever felt!  The lining is fleece so it is not going to irritate baby's delicate neck.
• Adjustable (have snaps with 3 settings/sizes).
• Machine washable (air dry them!).
• Extra absorbent for extra drooly little ones.
• Money-back guarantee- you can return them if there's a problem, even if you've already tried them out.

One thing to keep in mind is that since they're "drool bibs" they aren't for feeding baby in.  They work great for drool, but I would pick something that is wipeable for babies while they're are eating solid food.

*I received this product for free in exchange for this unbiased review.  To purchase or read more reviews, see product here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UR2ARDG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 *

Review: Kuuk Silicone Ice Ball Maker

I love a cold drink, especially since Spring is here, so I was happy to try out the Kuuk Silicone Ice Ball Maker.  I got the small twin pack which included a green and blue ice ball maker.  You've probably seen ice balls before in fancy restaurants when ordering scotch.  Scotch is nice, but I thought these would work just as well for making non-alcoholic drinks for the family!

When I opened the package, I noticed there were no instructions.  I decided to wing it and it wasn't that tough to figure out.  I filled the bottom half of the ice maker with water (1.5 Tbsp.) and put the top on.  Then I used a small measuring cup to pour water into the hole on the top (2 Tbsp.).  If a little ran over after it filled up, it was no problem because it was caught in the top of the tray and didn't spill all over the counter.

When I made these a second time I just put water straight from the tap into the whole thing put together, and I noticed when you fill one ball it fills the others too.  The ice balls didn't turn out as nice when I did it this way, though.  I pinched the top to get the excess that was in the lip of the filling hole- this part is key otherwise you will have little "handles" coming out of the top of your ice!  I popped them in the freezer, and when I took them out about 4 hours later, they were pretty easy to get out of the molds.   

I did a test to see how fast they melt compared to my regular ice cubes. They absolutely last longer- I would say 1 ball lasts about an hour, depending on the conditions and the drink.  A regular ice cube lasts about 15 minutes.

The Kuuk cube (left) and a regular cube (right) after 15 minutes

PROS
-Cheaper than other fancy ice ball makers or whiskey stones
-Makes ice melt slower (won't dilute your beverages while you sip them!)
-Made of flexible high-quality silicone (there's no aftertaste)
-Easy to clean & dishwasher safe (though I don't know how dirty they will get unless you use them for things besides water!)
-Lifetime money-back warranty

CONS
-It takes some practice to get them to look as perfect as in the promo pictures
-You'll need to use distilled water for crystal clear ice balls
-No tips/instructions included in the package

I think these ice balls would be great for putting in cold drinks for on the go.  Since they melt slower, they will keep your drinks cold longer while you're out running errands.

Next, I'm going to add some fresh herbs or fruits in there before I freeze them.  I'm imagining freezing some mint leaves, rosemary, or lavender buds in them and adding them to a big glass of sparkling lemonade- so fancy!  Or maybe adding raspberries to the balls and popping them into a pitcher of sangria- yum!  If you have kids, you could freeze different flavors of fruit juice in each one and make a rainbow drink.  Tons of possibilities!

I received this product from Kuuk in exchange for writing a review.   All opinions are my own.  For more reviews or to buy, see the product on Amazon here.

Getting Healthy: Prenatal Smooties and Vitamins

I have been having a green smoothie each day, and recently switched up my routine a little.  I'm *not* pregnant, but I want my body to be healthy when I decide to try, so I've been taking Thorne Basic Prenatal Vitamins.  It has the right form of folate for me (I am not supposed to take folic acid due to a mutation in my genes called MTHFR), and it also has a better form of B12.  It was going well, but then I found this other great prenatal called Seeking Health Optimal Prenatal Powder.  It has every nutrient you need and more!  The problem is that it costs a lot more than Thorne.  Thorne is about $26 for a one month supply, where Seeking Health is $80 for a one month supply.  Wow!  But I still wanted to try out how Seeking Health tasted, so I bought the 15 day supply for $40.

Since I've already been making a green smoothie for breakfast everyday, I thought I would just switch it out for this one.  I decided to save money I would use the Thorne every other day and alternate with Seeking Health.  So far it has worked great!  I bought the chocolate flavor protein powder, and it doesn't taste amazing just mixed with water.  Not terrible, but not something I'm excited about drinking.  The website says to mix it with frutis and vegetables to improve the taste, but I wasn't sure which would make it taste better and which would make it taste worse!

I figured since I already have the know-how about making regular smoothies, I could make a few changes to make it tastier.  To turn it into a smoothie,  I add quinoa milk, ground flax seed, half a banana, and 3-4 tablespoons of peanut butter (or other nut butter).  I think the peanut butter is key- it makes it taste less tart and more delicious.  Then I pop it all into my NutriNinja blender.

 I actually look forward to it now!  Somehow drinking a smoothie is easier than taking the three pills that I have to take for the Thorne Basic Prenatal.  You can also pop in other vitamins you take and blend them into the smoothie- no swallowing pills!  Perfect.

Love is In The Air (and on your plate!)

I love Valentine's Day.  I know people call it a "hallmark holiday" but to me, it represents not only romantic love but the love we have for family and friends.  

Every v-day I try to make one new food to celebrate the occasion, and usually I send out handmade valentine's cards too.  This month my family and I had a lunch to celebrate, and I cooked a love-themed lunch!  

On the menu was: salad, shrimp scampi, rose lemonade, and almond chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert.

Here's how I made the salad: a valentine's explosion!

First, I used a small cookie cutter to cut hearts out of the cucumber slices.

The cheese was cut into little XO and heart shapes with a mini cutter meant for linzer cookies.  The green pepper slices were easy to make little hearts from with the same cutter-next time I'd use red peppers so they stand out more.  I carved the carrots into little hearts in the method described here. I popped it all in a bowl with some spinach and topped it off with almonds.

Here are both (half eaten!)

 The meal was a huge hit! I hope you had a love-filled v-day like I did!

An Update

I just wanted to share some photos from our last trip to New Orleans.  Although it was cold out there (40s and sunny only part of the time) we had a great time!

The French Quarter

A view of the Mississippi

The Pharmacy Museum was so cool!

Unveiling a Brand New Logo!

A little while ago, I learned that Two Bees Creations had won a giveaway for a free logo design. We'd been wanting to make up some new business cards, so the news came just in time.

The company that we won the logo from is called Dzire to Dzine or D2D).  If you check out their website here (http://dzire2dzine.com/) you can see some of their other designs. Based out of Howrah in West Bengal, India, they have awesome customer service and were really great to work with.

They started by giving me a questionnaire to learn more about our business, our style, and our target market.  I provided some design ideas from blogs and websites I love as well.  They then took all that information and boiled it down into three proofs.  Saket was more than happy to modify the proofs as I further refined what I was looking for.  I've never made a logo before or worked with a graphic designer, and Dzire to Dzine made the process really easy.  I love the final look of the logo- it is fun and creative and captures our spirit!

Dzire to Dzine  also does web design, ad design, video production, and much more.  I especially like the web designs they have featured in their portfolio.  I highly recommend this company- maybe a website is in the future for us!  We'll be printing out out business cards with the new logo this month- so excited!


Our old logo (pretty, but did not have much to do with our business or name- we don't sell flowers!)

Our new logo (more professional and much clearer and easy to read!)