Italissima Organic Fruit Spread

If you love toast, jam and all things organic (like I do) you'll want to check out my new review of:

 Italissima Organic Fruit Spread. 

This jam is a keeper and for so many reasons! 

Have a great weekend and week :-)

Mr. Cheddar and I Wish You a Very Cool Yule!

Chedster is a MUCH better skater than I am. ;-)

***

I'm finishing up some end-of-the-year projects right now so won't be blogging much at any of my blogs until the New Year. 

In the meantime, Mr. Cheddar and I wish you a very happy holiday season and all the best in 2015! :-)

Essentials Bath Mat

If you are fed up with bathtub mats that don't stay down in the shower, are too small to cover enough of the bathtub to be really useful and that are hard to clean, you might want to check this one out:

Essentials Bath Mat is a superior product, for a lot of reasons. 

-Bigger than most in width- fit right across our large claw foot tub. About 2" wider than the Rubbermaid one I previously was using.

-Has a non-slip surface to stand on and good suction cups that REALLY stay in place in the shower

-Great price, $10 at Amazon when I bought mine recently.

-It's machine washable, how cool is that? I haven't tried washing it yet but I like that it can be when necessary.

***

I'm giving up on Rubbermaid after trying this one. ;-)

If you've been searching for a better choice for this kind of product, I hope you find my review helpful. 

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Looking for Some Heartfelt, Holiday Gift Ideas?

You might want to check out my latest post at Veggies, Yarns & Tails, where I've shared several handmade and heartfelt gift ideas, just in time for the holiday season. 

You can read the full post here.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving (US readers), happy weekend too! :-)

Two Countdown Kindle Deals (November 21-28)

You can read all the details of this latest eBook promotion here! 

Have a great weekend and happy reading. :-)

Haiku Reflections II FREE Promo This Weekend!

If you don't already have a copy of my second haiku poetry collection: 

Haiku Reflections II

it will be available as a FREE Kindle download, all this weekend at:

 Amazon.com, .ca, .UK....

You can read all the details here.

Happy Reading and Have a Great Weekend! :-)

Tout Naturel Organic Popping Corn (microwave)

I'm not a fan of microwaves or microwave cooking most of the time, but I make the occasional exception when it comes to popcorn. I just love microwave popcorn and recently I found the BEST brand that I've tried to date. 

Tout Naturel Natural Flavour Organic Popping Corn 

- has a lovely, buttery taste but not greasy

-not too salty, just right

-made with 3 simple ingredients: 

organic yellow popcorn, organic palm oil, salt 

-Very reasonably priced at less than $4. for a 3 bag, package (255 gr. total)

and best of all

 -it's certified organic! 

I've tried a lot of microwave popcorn over the years and this is by far the best, including organic and non-organic brands. 

I wasn't able to find a link to this product online but I do know that here in Canada it is available at Save-On Foods and London Drugs. 

The Canadian distributor is:

 Tree of Life Canada. I'm quite sure that it would be available in the US as well. 

It's definitely worth looking for at your local grocery or health food store. Oh so yummy good. :-)

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5

Are You a Fan of Trip Advisor?

If you are, you might want to stop by and check out this post re: a restaurant review I wrote there that was recently removed.  

I hope you'll join the discussion too! I was a real fan of Trip Advisor before this incident, but not anymore.

Seems like having reviews censored happens a lot more than I realized, based on the comments so far. 

Thanks in advance for your input too. :-)

Matinee DVD

If you enjoy humorous movies that showcase the nostalgic early 60's: Matinee is one you won't want to miss. Absolutely hilarious from start to finish.

Filmed in the 90's, John Goodman is at his best in this one, supported by a stellar cast of actors (including a lot of terrific young actors) who were all perfect in their roles. 

I also love movies that have a "film inside a film" feature, as was the case here, featuring "MANT" (half man, half ant) as part of the fun. ;-)

Not only is this movie fun, it has some sweet reminders of a simpler time and slower pace of life. A feel good film your whole family will love. 

If you happened to have been around during the 60's (I was just starting school!) this film will appeal even more. 

It's also the kind of DVD to keep on hand when you've had a less than great day and need some big-time laughs and a perfect film escape. 

Loved everything about this one! :-)

Overall rating for this DVD: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Whole Earth & Sea Pure Food Organic Vegan Greens Protein Bar

You can read my complete and yummy :-) review here!

These energy bars are a winner and for so many reasons.

Happy Snacking!!!

Overall rating for this product: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Getting to Mr. Right by Carol Balawyder

This is a terrific new book written by my long-time blog pal: Carol Balawyder.

You can read my full review here:

If you are looking for a good book to curl up with this weekend, you might want to check this one out!

Happy Reading and Weekend! :-)

Overall rating for this book/eBook: Excellent. 5 out of 5

John Grisham Book Giveaway!

If you are a fan of John Grisham's work (like me!) you won't want to miss this great contest. 

Read all the details including a link to enter: here.

Happy Reading and Weekend! :-)

Cat Haiku by Deborah Smith

As any of my regular blog readers already know, I LOVE cats. I have long "been owned" by many felines over the years; currently by the fab Mr. Cheddar (who btw is co-blogger here at My Real Life Reviews). And as the author of two haiku poetry collections, I also LOVE haiku poetry. 

When I saw: Cat Haiku by Deborah Smith over at Amazon recently, I was eager to give it a read. This eBook did not disappoint, it's just wonderful! :-)

Deborah Smith is the author of several books/eBooks and also by her own admission a "crazy cat lady" who knows first-hand the joys, thrills and spills (pun intended) of being owned by several cats (she currently lives with 8 felines!), yes EIGHT!!!

She is not only a talented writer; her artwork featured in this book is both original and captivating. 

Here are a couple of poems from the book that I particularly liked:

Cats make bad soldiers:

No discipline, no order

And they won't salute.

***

I see beyond worlds

Deep hearts,

waking fantasies

in my eyes

are dreams

I can SO relate to these lines. 

And again, the artwork that accompanies each poem adds so much to this collection.

 I only keep my absolutely fav books on my Kindle carousel (home page) but this eBook will definitely be staying there for the foreseeable future. I love to re-read a poem or two, when I'm reading on my Kindle. These poems always bring a smile to my day.

If you love all things feline (like I do) and perhaps haiku poetry too (even better): Cat Haiku by Deborah Smith is an eBook you will not want to miss. Highly recommended.

Overall rating for this eBook: Excellent. 5 out of 5. 

Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil

I started using this oil as part of the Shangri-La diet, taking 1 or 2 Tablespoons each day to curb my appetite. It works like a charm.

Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil has a very mild flavor, unlike Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so it is easy to take a spoonful, straight. It might sound strange but this really is an easy way to cut down on other calories. 

You can read more about my experiences of following the Shangri-La diet here.  

Although I used the sugar-water option previously instead of the ELOO, I am happier with the oil this time as I think it's healthier and is still just as effective as I found taking the sugar water was. Again, to really understand how this diet works, read the book. 

I easily lost almost 20 lbs. following this diet a few years ago. This time, I've been following it for about 2 weeks and have already dropped over 5 pounds, again almost effortlessly.

 I no longer snack at night but otherwise I'm eating sensibly but whatever I want throughout the day. Snacking at night can really "pile on the pounds" and with this diet, I no longer feel the need to eat anything after supper. That is a BIG change for me and a definitely a very easy way to lose weight. 

Back to the oil. Although I prefer EVOO overall, for using with this diet and for baking and frying at higher temps. (the ELOO has a higher smoke point) I would definitely recommend  Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil.

A couple more good points, it's reasonably priced and is still being bottled in glass at this point. I hope they continue to use this packaging and not plastic.

Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.