Wednesday, December 31, 2014

What The Web Wednesday - December 31 2014

Kicking Off What The Web Wednesday



Starting today and hopefully continuing on the months to follow I plan to put up a WHAT THE WEB WEDNESDAY LINK UP on the last Wednesday of every month here on this blog. 

I'll post a Web How To and then post a link up at the bottom of the post where you can link up your "how to" as well.  Think of it as knowledge sharing, brain-storming and/or crowdsourcing information that could better your website/blog!
I thought I would kick things off by posting about how to participate!

How To Participate In A Link Up

For this link up there are just a few things to do

  1. Scroll to the end of this post click the Add Your Link Button
  2. Put the link to the actual post (not just the link to your site) in the first field
  3. Type a quick title about the post
  4. Your email (not visible on the link up)
  5. Then click submit link
  6. For every link you leave visit another post on the link up and leave a comment on it
  7. Share this post on one of your social networks






Saturday, December 13, 2014

A Snapshot Of SNAP PERFUME


Snap Perfume Lets You Spritz In A Snap


Counter space in my bathroom is hard to come by. With the toothbrush, blow dryer, straightener and a gazillion hair products there isn't much room left for ornate shaped perfume bottles.  Thankfully @SnapPerfume came to my rescue by providing me with "pocket sized" perfume!  I'm not talking about those leaky sample bottles that you get.  I mean sleak stylish perfume designed to fit practically everywhere! Whether it's on a counter, in a purse or even the back pocket of your jeans, Snap Perfume is designed to fit it all! It allows you to spritz in a snap! Plus Snap Perfume is made out of environmental friendly materials and is 100% recyclable!


A Snapshot of Snap Perfume

Exclusively For Her

SNAP 1: Experience the fragrance of love when it is fresh and new! Designed to awaken the senses and release the spirit of sheer joy, Snap 1’s captivating fragrance for her is perfect when love and happiness is all that matters.
SNAP 7: Every woman wants to feel beautiful, so why not smell the part? Snap 7 for her is a modern exotic fragrance with a hint of mystery that unlocks the free spirit of romance, which every woman desires and deserves.
SNAP 88: Created for a woman who is enthusiastic and full of life, Snap 88 for her is an exciting yet delicate arrangement of harmonious scents that are alluring, sweet and playful.

Exclusively For Him

SNAP 1: Enjoy the fragrance of Snap #1 for him as this crisp sporty scent celebrates and compliments the spirit of masculinity, while rejuvenating the feeling of freshness throughout an active day.
SNAP 7: For the man who has everything, but desires a little bit more. Snap 7 for him defines sophistication and adds a touch of class for a man of ambition who dares to be different.
SNAP 88: From the boardroom to a night on the town. The charismatic scent of Snap 88 for him is perfect for a man with elite style and good taste, who knows how to enjoy life to the fullest.

and here is literally a snapshot of my Snap Perfume collection



 
With great price point Snap Perfume makes a great gift!  Be sure to head over to their Amazon page or Chatters Stores and grab one for you, for a friend, that special someone and anyone in your life that enjoys adding a little snap of scent to their life!

Saturday, August 30, 2014

LouLou Magazine Shop Series Recap

Fashion Forward At Farview Park


On our last post about the LouLou Shop Series we gave you Four Ways To Prepare For A Shopping Event.  Well we put those steps into action when we attended the 2014 LouLou Magazine Shop Series at Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall.
Was it any wonder that one of the first items I noticed was this?


Getting Glammed Up



  • LOULOU Closet, Runway and Trend Presentations (5:30pm and 7:00pm). ​Following each trends presentation there was a stylist competition where Liv Judd, shopping editor of LouLou Magazine chose 3 shoppers from the crowd to create their best Fall look from the LOULOU closet. They had 3 minutes to do so after which ​they presented their look to the audience and the winner was chosen by crowd applause.  There were a variety of trends for fall displayed and everyone had a giggle as the contestants ran around putting together the "look" they wanted to present.



  • Mini Makeovers by Hudson's Bay Estee Lauder. You had a choice of a "eye colour" application or a skin and foundation consultation.  Being a fair skin with freckles you can imagine the trouble I have with finding the correction foundation so I found the information provided very useful and the makeup application gave me an idea of how it should look.




  • Instant Updos and Polish Applications by Natural Solutions and Tonyc.  Diane's daughter opted for the hairdo while Diane and I went for manicures. As you can see our nails still looked great days later at the CNE


  • Started Shopping

    Now that we were armed with knowledge about the fall trends for 2014 it was time to hit the sales!  Lots of stores had great apparel and accessories on sale for the event so we got some great clothing deals! The still have a few more events happening
    The item I was most excited about was this jacket.
    If you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed a pinned a similar jacket just days before! What made it even more special is that I got it on sale for $8.99

    So Much Swag!

    For partnering with LouLou Magazine Shop Series and Internal Media At Events on this post we were awarded some awesome swag! We weren't the only ones to get some great swag.  Shoppers who spent $200 or more during the event were given gift bags as well. If you missed out on the Kitchener event be sure to check the list of upcoming LouLou Shops events and get ready to shop!

    Tuesday, August 12, 2014

    The LouLou Shops Series Is Headed for Kitchener’s Fairview Park



    Getting Your LouLou On

     

    While most Canadian women are familiar with LouLou Magazine, their LouLouShop Series might need an intro to the Kitchener Waterloo area. Being attendees of a previous LouLou event we thought we would give you the lowdown.

     


    What to Expect At The LouLou Event at Fairview Park


    Wondering what to expect at the LouLou Shopping Series event on August 21 2014? To start with Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener is looking forward to hosting you and your gal pals!


     

    Their participating shops will have lots in store for you including

    • Event Only discounts
    • VIP treatments
    • Treats and more

     
    Plus LouLou Magazine will have their expert editors on hand to give you tips on the latest style trends.

    Need a bit more coaxing? Well the first 200 shoppers that spend $200 at the event on between 5pm-9pm on August 21 will receive a SWAG BAG! Learn more about the event happenings and swag in our upcoming posts about the event

    Pro Tip – Get in line early for the swag!

    See Just How Much Fun We Had


    When we attended a previous LouLouMagazine event in Toronto Ontario, we had so much fun.  We were given a map of the participating stores and made sure to visit every single one of them! We shopped, received swag, hopped in photo booths, we wined and dined a bit, got pampered and ended up at a Dragonette concert in a Roots store.


     
     
     
     

    Now I’m not saying any of this will take place at Fairview Park, but you never know unless you are there for the experience!


    Four Ways to Prepare For a Shopping Event


    1. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES – The last thing you want to experience is sore feet. Pop on your comfy shoes ensure you can make it through the shopping mall blister free
    2. PLAN YOUR ATTIRE – At these events dressing room areas can become very busy. It’s best to wear tank tops and thin shorts under your outfit so you can try on garments without getting in that fitting room line.
    3. CHARGE YOUR DEVICE – Chances are you will want to show off your style! Make sure your smartphone/tablet is fully charged so you can show your finds socially.
    4. BE PATIENT – Great deals can sometimes mean longer lineups at the checkout. Instead of being frustrated, strike up a conversation with others in line. Ask them about the deals they grabbed and learn how they found out about the event.

    Tell Us about Your Shopping Experiences


     
    Do you have any pro tips to share when it comes to shopping events? We would love to hear them! Do you prefer to shop on your own or do you bring a group with you? Have you started the “back to school” clothing purchases? What Fairview Park shops do you frequent? How do you “shop so you don’t drop” Post your comments below and we’ll be sure to tweet them out!

    Sunday, July 6, 2014

    When Do You Feel Beautiful?

    Empowering Women At #BeautyIsMe

    Last month we had the opportunity to attend the first #BeautyIsMe event hosted by She Speaks Hair. We were not sure what to expect. All we knew was that is was a charitable event for The Heart And Stroke Foundation with Beauty as it's theme.

    If you have read my post Find The Inner And Outer Beauty you know that I feel strongly about this subject and that we like to be involved in anything that Empowers Women to be their very best.

    When we arrived we were told we learn tips for hair, skin, nutrition, exercise and relaxation all in one afternoon. As you can see in the video below we did accomplish that

    Takeaweays From The Event

    • Beginner yoga is truly for everyone
    While we all lied there learning how to properly breath everyone was able to do it at their own pace and if you had yoga experience before you learned how to increase your yoga workout.  It was great lesson in relaxation and being present. 

    • How NOT to damage your hair
    We spend so much time doing our hair, a lot of the time we are shooting ourselves in the foot.  Instead of using a gazillion products, choose just a few that don't have fillers.  They are more concentrated so you will use less and get the full benefit from the product. Also something I need to stop doing is going to bed with wet hair.  In may be convenient but it increases the chance of split ends and hair breakage.

    • Put your best face forward
    We learned a lot of time savers when it came to skin care and makeup application.  Natural glow comes for healthy skin, but for extra oomph use a highlighter makeup to contour your face.

    • Healthy eating can be a skin care regime
    Eating foods high in antioxidants and healthly fats are not only good for your body, they can be used on your body. Being the Food Revolution KW Ambassadors we were pleased to learn you can create facial treatements and skin care masks using berries, avocados and more nutrient rich foods.

    • Cheer Up
    Choosing a Cheer Body workout gives you a great cardio workout but also increases self esteem.  Taught by a former cheerlearder from the Toronto Argonauts, the workout improves the way you move and the way you feel about yourself!

    oh and there was healty nibbles and swag to be had...


    We really enjoyed ourselves at this first #BeautyIsMeEvent and look forward to the one next season.  If you want to be in the loop about their seasonal events be sure to join the She Speaks Hair Mailing List (the link can be found in the right sidebar of the page).

    Tuesday, July 1, 2014

    Best Salad Dressing - Just Five Ingredients

    With summer in full swing salads are on the menu!


    There are so many salad dressing recipes out there but I find they have so many ingredients! This means you are constantly balancing flavours.  If you put too much lemon then you need more sugar.  If you have to much garlic then add some lime.  For me simple is the way to go.

    I made this salad dressing in 5 mins with 5 ingredients.  No zesting, chopping or juicing required.

    Now remember I'm not great at measuring so you may need to do a bit of adjusting to your own taste.

    The 5 Ingredient Salad Dressing

    You will need
    • 1 cup of Olive Oil
    • 2 to 2.5 cups of Rice Wine Vinegar
    • Half a cup (or less depending on how sweet you need it) of Liquid Honey
    • A few of twists of the grinder of ground pepper
    • A couple of twists of the grinder of salt.
    ** Note because I am a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Ambassador I recommend his pink himalyan salt but any coarse salt should do.

    What's next? Add it all to a mason jar. Secure the lid and give it a good shake! That's it!

    I poured it over a spinach salad that had strawberries and walnuts. Again another easy to make healthy recipe!

    Let's Hear It

    Give it a try and leave a comment on how you liked it, or let me know about your easy salad dressing recipe! Then be sure to check out the other Healthy Recipes From Canadian Bloggers

    Friday, May 23, 2014

    Healthy Recipes For Food Revolution KW From Bloggers Across Canada

    As posted in our MEDIA RELEASE were introduced to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day by being asked by the previous Kitchener Food Revolution Ambassador to help create a community event for the 2013 Food Revolution Day. Food Revolution Day is a world-wide movement that brings healthy lifestyle awareness to all. With co-operation from The Kitchener Market, Foodlink and several other community involved organizations the 2013 Kitchener Food Revolution Day was a success. In the planning of our second event for Food Revolution we were made aware that the Kitchener Ambassador would not be carrying on in that position for 2014. Being such an important awareness campaign for the area, we chose to take on the roles of Kitchener-Waterloo Food Revolution Ambassadors to continue Jamie Oliver's important messages of healthy food and lifestyle choices.  You can read the full Media Release to learn more about Food Revolution KW.





    If you are in the Kitchener Waterloo area we would love to see you at our #FoodRevKW event at the Kitchener Market.  We are thrilled to have special guests Top Chef Canada Finalist Terry Salmond and World Boxing Champion Fitzroy Vanderpool take part in our event along with several other healthy living partners!
     
    With our Food Revolution KW 2014 happening we wanted to know what healthy recipes YOU like to make! Below are list of recipes bloggers from across Canada submitted and feel free to add your own to the list! If you try any of the recipes be sure to come back and comment on how they turned out!
     
     
     

    Saturday, March 8, 2014

    International Women's Day 2014 Blogs

    Today March 8 2014 Is International Women's Day



    Last year I wrote a post about International Women's Day, but this year I decided to see what other bloggers have to say about the subject. I have set up a a blog link up with some great posts that have to do with the topic. If you have written a post that fits with the topic of International Women's Day be sure to link it up at the bottom of this post. I have also added some content that may strike a chord with you.





    Tuesday, February 4, 2014

    Facebook Turns 10 - What That Means To Me

    Happy 10th Birthday Facebook


    Last week TIME magazine launched a tool to let you know How Much Time You've Wasted On Facebook.  Although I have not analyzed the time I have spent on Facebook, I would never refer to it as wasted time.

    Here's just a short list of things Facebook has done for me
    • Met tons of new people!
    • Launched MeFest
    • Turned my part-time job into a full-time position
    • Became even more involved in my community
    • Raised awareness for several events
    • Learned to adapt to an ever-changing platform
    Really I could go on about all the wonderful things facebook has done, but that's just me. I asked on facebook about how what you LIKE most about facebook.  Staying connected to those far away and re-connecting with people was the stand out answer. 

    To celebrate 10 years of Facebook, all the users received a highlight reel of their time on the social network as well as a message from Mark Zuckerburg and a short 10 Year Celebration video that you can see below.





    Saturday, January 4, 2014

    Are You Ready For An Emergency? How I Prepared For Another Winter Storm

    Are You Afraid Of The Dark?


    When it comes to losing power I am.  As many of you know I'm a worrier, and I've always had the supplies handy in the event of a power failure, but I learned over the Christmas season, it may not cut it.

    Where I live if the power goes out it's only for a few hours (with the exception of the blackout of 2003), so I always knew I have enough to get me through a day or two.  I received quite a wake up call this year as many spent the Christmas holidays in the dark.  You can hear more about that on my Everik Battery Backup post.

    Once again my area of Ontario is preparing for Old Man Winter to rear his ugly head.  Overnight we are supposed to get hit with another snowstorm, so today I did a few things to put together an emergency kit.

    I went out bought new flashlights (including a headlamp that is supposed to work for 5 hours), lots of batteries, extra food a few things to make things a bit easier if the power went out. When I came home I saw that I received a lot of suggestions on my facebook feed.

    Although I already have a lot of the items listed I really went through the Waterloo Region Emergency Management site that was suggested. If you follow this Personal Preparedness link and scroll down to Tips on Preparing a Family Emergency Survival Kit you can see a bunch of bullet points of what you need, scroll down a bit more and see a much more detailed list.

    In addition Diane told me about some lights that you can purchase from the Red Cross. This year I plan on purchasing those along with that 2 of those 72 hour emergency kits. One for home and one for my vehicle.

    There were a few extra things that I did to prepare.

    1. Prepare A Source Of Heat

    I have a fireplace insert, but I haven't had a fire yet this year and was worried about starting it up without it being properly prepared for long burning fires, so I went a bought the Chimney Sweep Log that's advertised.  I followed the directions on this youtube video and it burned for about 3 hours without any issues. I also bought a package of six long burning fireplace logs (each one is to last about 3 hours).  I have wood for the fireplace, but again I don't use my fireplace as a heat source, so I don't have a huge wood pile that's easy to get to (I'll fix that next thaw), so between the wood I do have close by and the fireplace logs I would be able to stay warm while I come up with a plan.

    2. Prepare Your Wallet And Your Car

    Back in 2003 during the blackout I had a full tank of gas and had just taken money out of the bank.  This proved to be helpful as we were able to drive to my parent's cottage, since it occurred in the middle of the summer. I figured we could cook food in the BBQ (or fire pit if it got to that) and if it was too warm we could hang out in the lake.  It was a wonderful surprise to find out that they had not lost power there so we stayed for a couple of days. Even though there was hydro in the area, many of the stores could only do cash transactions because their POS system home base was located in a place where the power was out.

    If a storm was to hit and I found out it would be out for days, and I could drive to another area where there is power, that would be my plan. In addition to fuel, also make sure you have windshield washer fluid and lots of supplies in the car.  If you are not planning on leaving (you've heard the power will be out for hours, not days) below are some more things to do to prepare.

    3. Prepare For Your Pets

    Make sure you are stocked up with lots of pet food. Also fill lots of water pitchers and water jugs with water so you can ensure your pets have lots to drink.

    4. Charge Your Devices

    During last month's storm, I did not lose heat or hydro, but I did lose my internet, tv and land line.  I did not lose my data on my smartphone. I was still able to text and access the web in order to hear about updates from the news and weather stations and was able to share info with those who had lost power but still had internet access and keep them updated on their hydro situations.

    5. Do Your Laundry And Find Your Luggage

    If you had to leave at a moments notice would you have enough clean clothes ready to go? Do you how you would carry everything? Do you really want to go up in the attic or down in the crawlspace in the dark hunting for suitcases?

    6. Take A Shower And Fill The Tub

    Take a shower because you don't know when your next one will be during an emergency situation (see the no makeup/towel dried hair pic below).  In addition this will refill your hot water tank afterwards which I think (which means in my head and not a scientific fact) will help your pipes to keep from freezing up if they have been used recently. Next fill your tub with water.  You can use it to flush your toilet.  I was surprised to learn that many don't know that pouring a bucket of water into your toilet bowl will cause it to flush.  I also fill my sinks and pots with water just so I have it if needed

    7. Cook A Big Meal

    I've cooked a big roast with lots of potatoes, parsnips and carrots. If the power doesn't go out I have leftovers for work lunch and stews, stirfrys etc.

    8. Set Up Your Supplies... Sort Of

    I bought new flashlights and batteries, so I set them all up to make sure they are working.  Then I took out the batteries, as I don't want the lights to drain the batteries.  I do have the batteries near the lights that they are for.

    9. Have A Landline Phone And Write Down The Phone Numbers Of Your Local Utility Providers

    In the past when the hydro has gone out, all of my cordless phones stopped working too, but my kitchen wall phone (land line) has worked.  Because I keep emergency numbers close by I was able to call the local hydro company to let them know it has gone out.  I know a few times I was the first person to call in as they were not aware.  Back then I worked afternoons so I told them most of my neighbours were still at work and wouldn't know until they got home.

    10. Be Happy That You Have Taken Precautions

    I'm always thrilled when a big storm that was supposed to happen, passes by without any horrible consequences.  Remember all the items you have bought will keep! Better safe than sorry.

    What Do You Do To Prepare?

    Share your knowledge and we'll all benefit.  Leave a comment about what you do to prepare for an emergency. Perhaps you experienced the Ice Storm Power Failure first hand and can offer some insight and advice. I want to hear from you too!





    Friday, January 3, 2014

    How To Cook Golden Beets


     
    When I visit the grocery store I always do my best to buy locally grown produce.  Being that I live in Ontario Canada, finding a vegetables from this area in December doesn't come easy.
    I was very surprised on my last shopping trip to find Golden Beets that were grown in Ontario.

    Cue the jingle....



    So I decided to give them a whirl
    As you can see the golden beets came with their own recipe (photo of the recipe close up is near the bottom of this post), but as always, I improvised.


    The recipe called for 2lbs of Golden Beets and that was the size of bag that I bought.  It said for them to be washed and quartered.

    My first question was should I peel them as well? The skin looked rough and not like something I wanted to eat, so I headed over to "Chef Google" to find out. According to Tiny Urban Kitchen yes I could peel the beets.

    My next question was about quartering them, as you can see in the image below, some were the size of a baseball, where others were the size of a squash ball.  So instead of quartering them I decided to dice them into chuncks relatively the same size.



    I chose to use the olive oil option that was on the recipie and instead of all the spices I tossed them with Himalayan Sea Salt.
    That could have went a bit better, the grinder part of the salt container came off and well it became quite a mess. Thankfully the most of the salt spill was centralized in one corner of the pan so I was able to scoop out the majority of salt.

    The next step said roast for 40 mins at 400 degrees.  I never know if that means I should cover it or not, but to me roasting is covered so I covered the pan in tin foil and popped it in the oven.

    I already had some chicken thighs baking in apple cider vinegar in the oven so the timing should be about the same.  I also put some mini potatoes in my steamer to go along with it. I am sure I could have put the potatoes in with the beets, but I wanted to see how the beets turned out on their own.  Plus steamer mini potatoes don't need much fuss. No peeling, just a good scrub and they are good to go.








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