Kraft Fresh Take Review

We eat a lot of chicken in my house, so I'm always looking for new ways to make it.  I received a coupon for a free Fresh Take Cheese & Breadcrumb mix, and couldn't wait to try it out.  I chose the Rosemary & Roasted Garlic, but they also have Southwest Three Cheese and Italian Parmesan.  It was so easy to use!  The breadcrumbs and cheese come in a ziplock type bag.  All you have to do is open the bag and shake to combine them.  Next, you can either wet your meat with a little water, or use a beaten egg, and throw the piece of meat in the bag and shake to coat.  It's like Shake & Bake, only so much better!  My chicken took about 35 minutes to cook in a 375 degree oven, and came out delicious!  I will buy this again!

**Disclosure--I received a coupon for a free product through Kraft's First Taste program.  I was not obligated to write a blog posting, and all opinions are my own.**

Fresh Produce Clothing Review

Are you looking for comfortable, affordable clothes that can easily be worn to work and then out to dinner with hubby or friends?  If your answer is yes, Fresh Produce is the place to shop!

I was given the opportunity to choose anything on the site to review.  It was hard to narrow it down to one item, with their wide variety of island clothing and caribbean clothes.  I finally decided on the Stroll Dress in Breezy Flower in the truffle color.  This is from their spring dress collection.  I was surprised at how soft the dress was!  It was the perfect length on me, which was also surprising because I'm only 5'1!  I normally wear a size small in tops and a size 6/8 in bottoms, so I ordered the small.  The dress was a little roomy, but that's great for hiding any imperfections!  It's also great for work.  I'm a middle school teacher, and can't wear anything too tight or revealing.

 

This is the dress I selected, from the website: 

 

 

And here it is on me...sorry about the mess of shoe boxes behind me!

Fresh Produce now ships to over 200 countries, so women outside the US can enjoy the colorful styles too.

Check out Fresh Produce on facebook and twitter!

 

**Disclosure:  I was sent a product in exchange for this review.  However, the opinions written here are my own, and were not influenced by receipt of the product.**

A year later....

My dad has been gone a year, and it has been a rough one.  My grandpa passed away in December, one day away from being exactly 8 months to the day of my dad's passing.  Our family had to endure going to the same funeral home, the same church and the same cemetery once again.  My grandparents bought 2 plots when they bought their own so many years ago..."just in case" someone in the family needed it, so my dad and grandpa are buried next to each other. I think that was the hardest part of my grandpa's funeral...going back to the cemetery and seeing my dad's grave too.  We all met back at the cemetery on April 7th, my dad's one year anniversary.  We brought some things to decorate the grave, including a blue egg because he loved to decorate Easter eggs, and a chick because he was one of the few people who loved Peeps.  We are still saving to get him a headstone.  It's going to cost over $2,000, and since he had no life insurance and was diagnosed with cancer & passed away in just 8 months, we didn't have enough money to buy one.  We went to a diner to eat after the cemetery.  My grandma is such a strong woman.  It was hard enough to lose my dad and grandpa, but I can't imagine losing a child and husband.

iPod Touch Giveaway from The Penny Hoarder

I just joined the iPod world a few months ago with a tiny iPod Nano, but I let my students use it when I take them to the fitness room twice a week, so I keep only middle school appropriate music on there.  I'd love to win an iPod Touch for myself!  You can have a chance to win too, by stopping by The Penny Hoarder's blog and entering!  It's a simple Rafflecopter giveaway, which I love!  Enter here:  http://www.thepennyhoarder.com/2012/01/the-penny-hoarders-ipod-touch-giveaway

Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest?  I had been hearing about it for a while, but had NO CLUE how addicting putting a bunch of pictures in different categories could be!  If you're on there, follow me :-)  I'd love some more friends on there!

gelcolor by Opi

I just opened an e-mail from the day spa by my house and saw an advertisement for this new gelcolor by Opi nail polish..  I had the Light Concept Nails done there for my wedding, and kept them on for a little while after, but at $50 every two weeks to maintain them, it was too expensive.  I love having polished nails, but for some reason, regular polish NEVER stays on my nails!  Any time I've had nail polish put directly on my real nails, it's smudged before I leave the nail salon.  I have been hesitant about getting the shellac because I heard it can damage your nails, so this seems like a great alternative!  The price is awesome too!  Only $25!  Have you tried it yet?

 

**Disclosure--I didn't receive anything for this post.  I am just curious to know if anyone has used gelcolor by Opi.**

It's been a while....

I haven't been here since the summer, and a lot has changed.  You all know my dad passed away in April, and that was rough.  It still is.  He was one of my best friends, and I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone to call him.  In September, I started teaching middle school, all subjects.  For the past five years, I've taught high school English, so it's been a huge change for me.  I love my students, and teaching is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of.  In December, almost 8 months to the day after losing my dad, my grandfather passed away.  It was just awful going back to the same funeral home, the same church, and burying him right next to my dad.  It was like losing my dad all over again.  I think I'm finally ready to come back to blogging, and hope to be updating regularly again from now on.

Rest in Peace, Daddy

I haven't been here in months.  As my last update said, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2010.  We were told he would be ok, but really, he had Stage IV cancer and was not going to survive.  After losing faith in his original doctors and a month in a horrible hospital, we were able to bring him to one of the best hospitals in NYC.  Unfortunately, by then it was too late.  He lived another month in that hospital, and the staff there was absolutely amazing.  They allowed one family member to sleep there, so daddy could have a family member with him 24 hours a day....and for that month, me, my mom, two of my aunts and one uncle took turns spending every spare moment at the hospital with him.  It was heart breaking to hear the doctors ask, "What do you know about what's going on right now" and to watch him fight back tears and say, "I'm going to die."  He fought so hard, but six months after he was diagnosed, this world lost an amazing man.  I am still devastated.  We all are.  No matter how much pain he was in, he would make jokes with the nurses and tell them he understood if they couldn't bring his pain meds right away because they were busy.  He was such a sweet and loving person.  I don't know why God chose him to go through such a horrible disease or why he had to leave us after only 57 years on earth, but I know he'll be at the gates of heaven waiting for me when it's my time.

Rest in Peace, Daddy
12-12-53 ~ 04-07-11

My "baby" brother, the blogger!

My "baby" brother, who is now almost 20 and all grown up, has just started his own blog!  He's a HUGE sports fan, mostly basketball, so that's what his blog will be about.

Check out the FReSH BLoG now!

Win a VTech LS6325-3 3 Handset Cordless Phone at Little Yaya's!

My parents are probably the only people on the planet who still have corded phones in their house.  When I saw this review and giveaway for the VTech LS6325-3 three handset cordless phone over at Little Yaya's, I knew I had to try to win it for them!  Not only is it cordless, comes with 3 handsets AND a digital answering machine, it also has a push to talk intercom feature that would be perfect for the times my parents need my brother to help them.  This giveaway ends on January 14th, so click here now to enter!

Update on my life

I haven't been around much in a while, but I hope to change that.  I had an absolutely fabulous cruise wedding on August 19th and married my soulmate.  We had a beautiful ceremony and reception, and went on an 8 day cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.  We were blessed to have a group of 19 of us on the cruise, including my parents and brother. who hadn't been on a vacation in 16 years.  My brother is only 19, so he didn't even remember ever going on a vacation.  Soon after we returned, in early October, my dad was sent to the emergency room in severe pain.  Just a few days later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer.  It had already spread to his liver by that time.  His doctors couldn't understand why it wasn't caught sooner.  He has ulcerative colitis, so he goes for regular colonoscopies.  Everything happens for a reason though, and we thank God that he was healthy and able to enjoy my wedding and the cruise vacation before being diagnosed.  Dad spent 3 weeks in the hospital, had surgery to remove the tumor in his colon and is now home undergoing chemotherapy every other week.  His doctors are optimistic, and we are praying and keeping his spirits up.

My mom hasn't been feeling well lately, and since diabetes runs in our family (her dad and brother both had it, and she had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my brother), the doctor told her to check her blood sugar 3 times a day.  It has been running high, and she will probably have to go for glucose test after seeing the doctor on Monday.  I'm still dealing with migraines and vasovagal syncope, and hoping to find some kind of natural remedy for them so I can get some relief without having to stay on the meds I'm on.  My husband and I want to have kids, and I'll have to go off of the meds completely before we can even start trying.

It's all frustrating and exhausting, but I know God wouldn't give us more than we can handle.  We're a strong family, and we'll get through it.

Here's some pics from our wedding!

 

Win a George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission!

I seem to have passed my love of shoes and cooking on to my little brother.  The shoe obsession isn't so great for my parents, but they love that he has taken an interest in cooking.  It started when our dad was diagnosed with cancer in October.  He spent 3 weeks in the hospital, and when he came home, he wasn't able to do as much as he could before.  Our mom works full time, and it turned out to be a blessing that my brother had taken time off of college.  He wasn't too happy about having to learn how to cook, but to everyone's surprise, including himself, he began to enjoy it!  He's now thinking of going to school for cooking!  When I saw this giveaway at Latina on a Mission, I knew I had to try to win it for my brother.  He would LOVE this grill!  It does so much!  Enter to win the George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission by clicking on this link.  Giveaway ends on January 8th!

Win a $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest!

My parents really need a new microwave.  REALLY!  The big one they had was slowly dying for months before they got rid of it.  It was so bad they were using a pen cap to hold the button down to keep it working!  The one they have now is small, and old too.  That one needs to go!  My parents don't like to buy new things for themselves, so if I win this $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest, I'm going to use it towards a new microwave for them!  The giveaway ends tomorrow, December 31st, so hurry on over there for your chance to win!

Tweet and get $5 for Amazon Video on Demand!

My husband and I have different work schedules, and he works weekends, so we don't go out much.  My parents bought us the Roku player last year for Christmas, and we love it.  We get much more use out of our Netflix subscription and can even rent and buy movies from Amazon Video on Demand.  From now until January 1, 2011, at 11:59 PM PST, you can receive a $5 credit for Amazon Video on Demand just by sending one tweet!  All you have to do is go here and follow the simple directions.  You'll need to log onto your Amazon account before tweeting in order to receive credit for your tweet.

***Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this posting.  I posted it solely for the benefit of my readers, and all opinions are my own***

Ipod Shuffle 1000 Follower Giveaway at Me and Bella!

My hubby and I have had gym memberships for a while now, but don't really use them.  Our work schedules don't allow us to go together, so I need something else to motivate me.  A new Ipod would definitely help!  I have an old mp3 player from a few years ago, but I'd love to have the Ipod shuffle because I could just clip it to my clothes while working out.  Courtney at Me and Bella has purchased one to give away to one of her readers when she hits 1000 followers OR on December 26th, whichever comes first.  Isn't that soooo generous of her?!  Go check out her blog and the giveaway!

Giving Back...

Do you make contributions to several charities throughout the year, and then have to go through a ton of files to find the tax receipts at the end of the year?  Stephen Paletta, the winner of Oprah’s Big Give, has developed a website making it so much easier to keep track of donations AND earn money for donations through online shopping!  This website, GiveBack.org, was built to make everyone a big giver.

Registration is easy and takes only a minute or two.  You can either log into your facebook account to register, or you can create a username and password.  The verification e-mail comes right away, and your account is created!  You even start out with $5.00 for the charity of your choice!  Searching for a charity is simple.  I chose the Colon Cancer Alliance, because my father was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.  You will soon be able to create your own charity for raising money, which would be great for local charities.  You can add your own money to your account, others can add money to your account or you can use the SHOPPING feature to have money added to your account.  I love to shop online, so this is one of my favorite features.  There are over 400 participating merchants right now, and I'm sure more will be added.  You can earn up to 15% cash back on your purchases, though most merchants offer 2-4% cash back.  For more information about the site, watch this video:

There are so many worthy charities out there who need our donations to keep running.  I hope you'll check out GiveBack and donate to a charity that means something to you.

*I received no compensation for this post.  I learned of GiveBack.org through my membership with One2One Network.*