Blogger Op: iCoffee Opus Giveaway

Blogger Opp: iCoffee Opus Giveaway

Sponsored by: iCoffee Hosted by: My Silly Little Gang

One lucky winner will receive their very own iCoffee Opus Single Serve Brewer!

The iCoffee Opus Single Serve Coffee Brewer has many features like: 75 ounce water reservoir Dial-a-Brew™ – from 4-12 ounces in 1/2 oz. increments Energy Saver mode and automatic shut-off Removable drip tray allows for larger mugs, including most travel mugs SafetyLock™ locks the single-serve brew head during the brewing process, protecting consumers Compatible with every K-Cup®, OneCup™, RealCup™ capsule, and all private label cups BONUS: Starter Pack includes 6 k-cups and an iCup Reusable

This single serve coffee brewer is equipped with Burrows’ patented SpinBrew™ Technology that spins, steams, and stirs inside the k-cup creating a mini French Press-like effect.

Review: VieAidHealth Thyroid Booster

When your thyroid starts to fail, it can really suck. Your energy is sapped and those pesky pounds start piling on. And they are notoriously difficult to get rid of. But, occasionally

you can find a supplement that will help you along your way.
   VieAidHealth's Thyroid Booster is such a supplement that can aid you. One of the boons with the product is that it contains numerous natural ingredients, such as cayenne. Cayenne is wonderful in getting your metabolism going and energy revved up. There are also a hefty amount of vitamins included in these pills. Can't go wrong with vitamins. Even though the natural ingredients are in abundance, I do recommend using it alongside a prescription thyroid medication and under a doctor's care. The company is offering my readers a 20% discount for the product.
Full disclosure: I was sent this product at a discount in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Body Parts Anonymous

Since moving to Marshall, I have had ample opportunity to recharge by simply staying at home. My introverted nature required it. However, the itch to get out and meet people and experience a life has taken hold and so I joined a local writer's group. I attended my second meeting last week at the library. 
   At each meeting, there is a prompt assigned for the next one. The prompt for last week's meeting was "Body Part." Each member had the opportunity to write something with "Body Part" as the subject. It could be a poem, short story, etc. - whatever the writer is compelled - and then they read it in front of the group.
   I wanted to break out of my dramatic writing shell and go humorous. Here is what I created:

BODY PARTS ANONYMOUS

   "Hello. My name is Leg and I am a Body Part."
   "Hi, Leg!"
   The other body parts said it so effortlessly. Many of them had been attending Body Part Anonymous for a long time, each one trying to establish a voice.
   "It is not always easy being a part, another cog in the wheel," continued Leg. "Especially when you feel that you do so much. How can you make yourself known? Get acknowledgement? When you are just a 'part?' I guess that's why I'm here - to be heard among my fellow parts."
   Each body part nodded, understanding what was being said. Leg scanned the room and noticed his neighbor - Foot. He wasn't sure how long she had been attending, but it was not necessarily a pleasant surprise. Leg and Foot had gotten into so many fights over the years. Foot constantly felt walked on by Leg and Leg thought she complained too much.
   And there she is, thought Leg to himself. Staring at me, full of self-righteousness. I wonder what she has said about me. How much of an ass has she turned me into with her shit talk? How much of a martyr has she made herself out to be?
   The other parts continued to stare, waiting for Leg to speak further.
   "I guess one thing I want to express is my feeling of under appreciation," Leg said, his voice becoming firmer. "I mean, if it wasn't for me, no one would go anywhere. And it's because of that that my muscles frequently feel like they're on fire! I have to run up and down steps several times in an hour, multiple times per week. Because Brain thinks I'm too fat"
   Leg did not mean to say that. He did not mean to vomit those words. He felt as gross and reactive as Esophagus.
   Well, can't turn back now, Leg told himself. I've opened the bag. Let's see what else I have stored in there.
   "Do you guys ever . . ."
   "Enough!" Foot jumped up from her chair, breaking protocol in taking turns speaking. "I can't let you continue on this quest of self-importance! I can't let you lead these innocent parts astray while you insult them!"
   "Are you saying they're weak minded?" Leg yelled back. "That they can't handle what I have to say?"
   "NO! I'm saying you're full of egotistical crap! You never see what anyone else is doing! Only what you're doing! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have anything to stand on!"
   "And if it wasn't for me," Leg retorted. "You would be a worthless flap of a body part!"
   Foot ran toward the podium where Leg was speaking, both of them yelling at each other with increasing vehemence. That is when chaos ensued. Brain, who had been sitting in the back of the room, ran toward Foot and Leg, offended over being drug into the argument. Finger jumped up, eager to point out her view on the matter. Heart broke down, crying over the hostility in the room. Penis quickly stood at attention, excited over the prospect of actual action.
   Pancreas stood up from his chair. "SHUT IT!" he yelled.
   Silence drowned the chaos as every body part turned and regarded Pancreas. "You all elected me the leader of this group because I am usually able to keep everyone on an even keel. And if we cannot get one ounce of civility here, this meeting will be OVER!"
   Leg puffed up. "Leader? You can't lead Appendix to actually matter. If you can't do something as simple as that, maybe we should have a NEW leader!"
   Across the room, parts muttered and nodded in agreement.
   Throwing his hands up, Pancreas asked if this was unanimous. Enough parts nodded that Pancreas began to walk out of the room.
   "Good riddance," muttered Leg as he watched Pancreas' exit. "No one needs a nobody anyway."
   That mutterance, just loud enough to be heard, made Pancreas stop. He turned and faced the rest of the parts, every one of them staring at him. Pancreas regarded the room, smiled and blew a kiss.
   A sparkly substance traveled on the winds of Pancreas' kiss and that substance touched each one of them. The parts began to smile and sweat. Their speech blurred as they began to talk nonsense. Pancreas observed their behavior before each part fell asleep.
   "Enjoy the extra insulin, bitches," whispered Pancreas.

Review: Pinnacle Nutrition Garcinia Cambogia

I am a believer in garcinia cambogia. I like weight loss supplements, especially when they work.

   The garcinia cambogia through Pinnacle Nutrition has helped me break a weight loss plateau. I measured myself before beginning this version of garcinia (about two weeks ago) and again yesterday. I have lost a total of 1.5 inches overall - most significantly in my thighs, lower abdomen and hips.
   The bottle the pills are kept in is very unassuming and the directions are fairly standard. They are very easy to remember and difficult to screw up. Two capsules one hour before two meals (preferably lunch and dinner). That works wonderful for me because my thyroid medication, which I take immediately in the morning, prohibits me from taking other medications for at least four hours afterward.
   These pills from Pinnacle Nutrition fit perfectly in with my medication regimen and they do work! Recommended.
Full disclosure: I was sent this product along with a small fee in exchange for providing an honest and unbiased review.

Review: Shower Genius Idea Board

If you are anything like me, you get ideas during shower time. It's about the only place in my house where I can get a little bit of peace and quiet. And that is when my brain starts working instead of running on autodrive.

   The bad thing though, when I get ideas in the shower, they are forgotten by the time I get out. And I kick myself as I walk down the hallway because I know I had an idea and I'm pretty sure it was a good one, but for the life of me, I can't remember it. So, maybe that means it wasn't a good one?
   Now, I can write my ideas down on the Shower Genius Idea Board. Which is pretty handy. It not only works well with ideas, but also with little love notes. The first thing I did when I got it was slip a love note to my husband before his shower the next morning.
   The downfall of this product, however, is suction cups that accompany the board do not stick to surfaces very well. They did not stick well to the walls of our shower, nor to the mirror in our bathroom. I'm not sure if it was because of the humidity or what. Anyway, my husband fixed that problem. He's pretty handy. I'm not sure what he used, but the board is by no means stuck to one position. It can be moved. :)
   I do recommend this product.
Full disclosure: I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Review: Vitamin Elite Elite Fat Burner

In my never-ending quest to find an awesome weight loss supplement, I will not discriminate. Whatever might help me, I will give it a try and this time, I tried Vitamin Elite Elite Fat Burner.
   This red pill combines thermogenics with an increase in mental focus and metabolism. While I have not seen a significant change in my waistline size since beginning, I will say that I have noticed a greater focus in my day-to-day activities.
   My mind can get fairly frazzled with my various work, two kids and a husband demanding my attention. Now, Tony is pretty down to earth and is not a very demanding guy. However, when he and both kids start talking to me all at once, each one wanting something different, I get snappy. I have not gotten snappy since I started to take the Elite Fat Burner. So, while it has not whittled my waist much, it has given me increased focus and patience. And that's a good thing.
   I would recommend checking it out for just that reason.
Full disclosure: I was given this product free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Looking Forward to Fall Giveaway Hop: Two Runnings Gift Cards

Welcome to the Looking Forward to Fall Giveaway Hop, hosted by Viva Veltoro and Lindsey Blogs. Summer is coming to a close, school is starting soon and it’s time to start looking forward to Fall. Each blogger in this Event has a giveaway

worth at least $25 – so be sure to hop around to them all below!
   Here on Experience A Life, there will be TWO winners! Each receiving a $25 gift card from Runnings! It's not just an agriculture store anymore. It carries more than farm and ranch equipment, automotive parts and sporting goods. Runnings also has an excellent selection of clothing, footwear, household items and kitchen gadgets, toys and more. It's a wonderful place to go Christmas shopping or to pick up a few indulgences for yourself.
   For baby mommies - Runnings carries the BEST diaper cream ever! Bag Balm! Yes, it is used on cow udders, but it is a miracle worker for those pesky diaper rashes.
   And this is the perfect giveaway hop for Runnings to be involved in, as they have an event in the fall many women look forward to. Every October, Runnings stores host a Ladies Night, featuring awesome sales and samples and proceeds from a $2 tote are donated to local breast cancer prevention organizations.
   Enter on the Rafflecopter form below. The winners will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. And after you get done here, hop to the other blogs for a chance to win their prizes. Good luck!
   So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, and the Looking Forward to Fall participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Women's Stretchy Long Sleeve Fingerless Gloves

I love fashion accessories. I don't wear them that often, but I love to have a variety of accessories to choose from. My choice of accessories weighs on my mood, what look I'm trying to create and what stuff is going on during the day.
   I've always wanted fingerless gloves, but I never had the

opportunity to try them out until recently. I got a pair of black arm-length gloves with half of the gloves made with black lace. I had to fight my daughter to get them. She is very into fashion and has her eye fixed on my brand new gloves.
   I loved how the gloves stretched over my arm and still gave me a nice snug feeling. I have the perfect outfit to wear this with - a lovely purple dress with a cute pair of strappy black heels. I can also wear them for Halloween - if I want to go for a witchy or vampire look. And I know my forearms will be warm, as it is not just a thin fabric.
   There are plenty of options other than black when it comes to these on Amazon. There are yellow, blue, red, green and purple. Most of the other options are not half lace. I think for $10, these are not a bad accessory to grace your closet - and your arms.
Full disclosure: I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Review: Pratico Kitchen Large Ice Cube Mold

We have an ice problem in this household. As in - there's never enough. We have one ice cube tray and I like to keep my drinks super cold - as in enough to give me brain freeze. But, that means that the rest of my family are sorely lacking

in the ice cube department. I promise I refill the tray every single time, but when they get ice, they are greeted with water sloshing around in the cubes.
   Pratico Kitchen has the answer to my problem. They have a Large Ice Cube Mold that creates 2.25-inch cubes. Tony was super excited when it arrived. No longer would he be lacking in ice! And thus started his stockpile of big ice cubes.
   The container itself is flexible silicone. We found that it is best not to fill it all the way to the top, because you might twist it and then have little droplets of water on the kitchen floor. At first, when it came to extraction, I had to adjust to the flexible silicone. I'm so used to rigid plastic ice cube trays - giving those a hard twist and hoping the ice cubes would not break.
   But, with this flexible silicone, all you have to do is push on the bottom and the cube slides right out the top - no cracks, no pieces left behind. It's a nice neat cube.
   Drop that baby into your iced tea or whiskey and let the chilling commence. You don't have to worry about diluted drinks any longer because the cube does not melt fast enough. Excellent for parties, which is what Tony is stockpiling for. We're going to have a little Labor Day gathering. So, I have towers of ice cubes sitting on my freezer shelves. It's kind of cute, actually. :)
   This is well worth the price on Amazon. Check it out.
Full disclosure: I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
  

A Call From God Opens Small Business

Our Written Lives (OWL) is a small Christian-based publishing company founded by Rachael Hartman. She developed a vision for the company in 2008 when she received a call from God to write and publish.

   "When I first felt the call, I didn't dream I would start a company," Hartman said. "I just thought I was supposed to write and have someone else publish what I wrote."
   But fate took a different turn after Hartman began submitting her manuscript. She could not find the right fit and after a few years of working in the writing/publishing industry, OWL was born. Hartman was working another job at the time, so the first couple of books she published free of charge. But, soon she realized that in order for her business to grow, she would have to start charging for publishing. "The experiences pushed ME to grow, or I knew I would have to dissolve the business," she said. "I began making changes and every change was for the best. I don't regret charging for the work I do. I do good work for a fair price, much lower than my contemporaries."
   Most of Hartman's clients cover the initial publishing fee after selling their first 50 books.
   The hardest part of Hartman's job has been rejecting authors. "Sometimes their writing is so bad that they need to go to school, take writing classes, etc.," she said. "I want to help everyone, but I'm only one person. I'm very real with people and I tell them what it takes to be successful. The truth is, it's highly unlikely they will become rich or not have to work simply because they publish a book. I have deflated some unrealistic expectations. It's not easy, but it's the right thing to do to be honest with people."

   While OWL is a Christian-based publishing company, that is not the only type of work Hartman will publish. As long as the book does not conflict with her values, she will consider it. Most of the books she has worked with have been testimonies. She also has a few children's books. But, she primarily focuses on non-fiction. While she has published a couple of fiction books, it is certainly not her forte. She was trained to edit non-fiction and those are the books she enjoys reading.
   But, non-fiction or fiction, Hartman stresses to aspiring published authors to write and share the stories they have inside themselves. "You have it for a reason," she said. "It's not about the number of people it reaches. It's about you sharing. Don't wait around for some bigwig to accept you. Do what you can with what you have and trust God will do the rest."
   Hartman said she would like close with a quote from her free e-book that will be available on her website soon:
What you write may be the key that allows someone to unlock understanding; it may be one more step in the right direction; or one more breath of fresh air. The words you write may be the bone marrow match for a reader's situation, the water they need to live another day, just

enough to pay a bill.
So write.
Write, even if millions of people have access to the words, but only hundreds read it.
Write, even if writing bares your soul and you're left alone and exposed.
Write, for your life was meant to bring the hope of Christ to those who know and read it.
And so, God blesses us with "Our Written Lives of Hope" to share with the world.
  

Review: Lost My Marbles Super Pack of 25

Marbles have always been very important to Bee. She can't keep them to save her life, but she loves to play with them. Mostly, she likes to organize and sort them. She's really big

on that - with everything.
   I received the Lost My Marbles Super Pack of 25 in a neat little velvety bag. They were sitting innocently in there until Bee saw them and HAD to have them. She jumped up and down as I inspected them. They are pleasantly heavy for marbles. You can tell these are quality marbles. There were no cracks or chips on their smooth surfaces and they look just like the marbles I used to have when I was a child. You know - clear with swirling colors
   I took Bee outside and drew two circles on the ground. We each chose a circle, divided the little marbles up one by one and took turns using the larger marble to knock marbles out of the opponents circle.   I'm not sure if that's the traditional way to play marbles, but that's how I remember playing as a child. We played three games. Bee won with two victories. It was a pleasant time - no television or Kindles or smartphones. Just the two of us.
   I highly recommend these. Check them out on Amazon. If nothing else, it will make a great stocking stuffer.
Full disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Review: RTGS Micro LED 15 String Lights

I love having different lighting options in my house. Usually, it's flooded with natural light, as I leave the windows open and the sunshine pours in. However, when the sun begins to set, I begin to turn on lights. And my favorite lights to set mood at home or in social situations are string lights. It does not matter what color they are.

   RTGS Products sent me five colors of Micro LED 15 String Lights - red, blue, green, white and pink. I placed the blue lights around a canvas photo of the earth, which is the focal point in my living room. I used the red lights on the headboard in my bedroom to set the mood. I used the white lights above the window in my kitchen. I have yet to hang the green or pink, as I am conflicted as to where they will go.
   But these are amazing! So small and delicate and yet so bright! They are easily attached to any surface with simple tape. The string is so fine that it is barely detectable. Almost the only way people will know you have string lights set up is when you turn them on.
   Another wonderful thing about these lights is that they are not plugged in. Each string runs on two CR2032 batteries. And the battery container is very small and compact. It is not heavy at all and can easily be concealed behind or under a shelf. Since they are LED, they are very energy efficient. The strings do not suck the batteries dry shortly after being turned on. The batteries can run for 24 continuous hours. Since the lights are not constantly on, I would say that is pretty good.
   I would recommend these for anyone who loves string lights and especially for Christmas. Check them out!
Full disclosure: I was sent these products for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Move Over Jareth!

Remember the movie Labyrinth? And David Bowie (DREAMY!!) as Jareth? He was pretty handy with those

crystals. Well, Michael Moschen - the professional contact juggler - was handy with them as he hid behind Bowie's form.
   Ever since I saw that movie I wanted to learn the art of contact juggling. It looks entertaining and fun! My husband knew of this desire and recently got me a ball to start. It's heavier than what I imagined.
   I went onto YouTube and watched different videos of people contact juggling to try to learn. The big one I want to learn is called the Wiper. Your arm and hand perform the movement of a windshield wiper and the ball flows up and over your fingertips with every pass. I think it's awesome, but from what I understand it is a basic move.
   I practice with my ball about half an hour every day - about as long as my carpal tunnel will allow me. And since I mentioned that - my carpal tunnel is improving! My right hand has a wider range of movement after I get done practicing. I am thinking that surgery might not be necessary as long as continue to do this.
   I have only been practicing for a couple weeks and thus far, I am happy to report that nothing has been broken. I almost broke the passenger side window on our Honda Odyssey over the weekend during a long road trip (a couple times) but everything in my household (and outside) remains intact.
   This is something that I can now cross off of my "experience" list. Am I an expert? Far from it, but I am giving it a good go! It also gives me something new and interesting to do as I carry out my day to day tasks. It is fun and it obviously has some benefits to my overall physical well being.
   It's not that expensive to begin (the cost of a ball - how much can that be?) and it costs nothing to learn.
   And maybe someday I can add some more balls into my future repertoire, but for the time being, I will continue learning the Wiper and in so doing, wipe away some of the redundancy of day to day life.