Litter Genie Review....

Crowdtap has sent myself and my cat(s) a litter genie to review.

First let me just say when I first got this, I was at an (And I guess still am) VERY busy place in my life.  I initially thought....YAY SELF CLEANING LITTER BOX! (Isn't that what we all want?)

And then boy the crash and disappointment when I researched and saw what I was REALLY getting.

REALLY? It's a diaper genie for cat litter!

Now let me explain my 'life'....

Up until recently I had one cat.  I've always had one cat.

We'll call her the queen of the house.  AKA Phoebe...She's even got 1/2 of the dogs whipped..

She oozes attitude.

And then Something happened around march..another rescue walked into my life.  Well not really I went on the great hunt...long story. 

Enter Thea:


 

I thought it would be great!  She had an identical personality to phoebe....we were all going to be best buds!

Oh how wrong I was.

To this day (3.5 months later) Thea lives upstairs...and Phoebe has downstairs..

Now my litter box routine was fairly simple..I just always had a large roll of bathroom trash bags (3 gal?) and I'd start in my bathroom where Thea's box was and work my way downstairs and then clean Phoebe's box and be done.

BOOM!  How hard is that.  WHY on earth does anyone need a poop holding contraption.

Ok I can see how it would be useful if you lived in an apartment and maybe didn't take your trash out daily....but for me? Pfft it's five feet into the garage....and the garage I pass in my daily doings constantly every day....

Lazy lazy lazy.

So if you need to see this contraption:

See, it's JUST like the diaper genie!  You pull the plastic through and knot it....then plop it in the genie and your good to go.....the weight of the litter automatically pulls the plastic down.  And there is the grey handle that your pull out that drops the litter down then covers it up thus helping to contain the smell.

  Then you just open up the base cut the plastic tie and toss.....tie again and go for it.

Lazy...how could this be useful...

And then....it happened...and I remember it happening in the past.  I'm busy trying to sleep when I'm hit with that awful stench......"THEA!!!!!!! you couldn't wait til morning?"  (OK I didn't really yell..)

This is about the time I'd fumble through the dark and try to open one of those bags, find my scooper and contain the stink bomb.

But now.....Now...I can just walk over open a lid scoop and pull.  And while I was skeptical.  The odor control is amazing.

Yes......I still view this as kinda lazy....but....add me to the lazy crowd .  I've also found this useful because our house is on the market (Or was for a solid 24 hours before going under contract) So I could just quickly clean...and now whenever I go into the room I can just quickly clean multiple times a day.

I'm even looking at getting a second for the other litter box....because...YES....I too can be lazy!

I've seen these retail for $14.99 at target, and two refills for $14.99 as well.

Hershey's Spread....

 I recently had the opportunity, thanks to both Hershey's and crowdtap to review the new Hershey's spreads.

Hershey's spreads come in three flavors, basic chocolate, chocolate with hazelnut, and chocolate with almond.

I spend the days leading up to getting my sample hoping against hope I would just get the basic chocolate.  I LOVE chocolate....Don't like almonds...and the only experience with hazelnuts I can recall is hazelnut coffee...and just the smell made my stomach turn.

So....of course, what flavor do I get?

Yep....thats my luck.  Chocolate with hazelnut.

Skeptically I opened it up.  It's pretty cold so I noticed the consistency was pretty firm and thick.

Ok, I can put the icky hazelnut experiences behind me.  Onward and upward...try it out!  The scent is very light....and the taste is just a hint.....this....is.....AWESOME!

Our favorite use, by far has just been dipping our fruit in it.  Apples,  bananas and strawberry's. YUM.  We were able to share with my children's friends.  I'm sure their parents just loved me sending them all home hopped up on sugar...:)

We tried pretzels, but I think the hazelnut flavor in it just didn't work.  Look forward to trying again with the plain spread.

Incidently I have a jar of JIFF chocolate whips as well...hands down Hershey's wins this battle...

Now I just have one more question thought.  OH HERSHEY'S where was this glorious product in 2007 when I was pregnant and craving cheese dipped in chocolate!?  Actually, my self restraint was non existent then...so probably a good thing it wasn't around.

This is definitely a keeper.  :)

Crowdtap -- Verizon; Nokia Lumia 928 Party.

WELCOME NOKIA LUMIA!

WOW!

First I must take a moment to sincerely thank both crowdtap and Verizon for giving me this wonderful opportunity.  I was 1 of 90 selected to have a Nokia Lumia party.

My party kit?  It consisted of a brand spanking new Nokia lumia 928,  JBL wireless charging speakers and swag bags for my guests.

swag bags

Now my husband and I gave ourselves some time to play with the phone before the party.  It was actually quite funny.  We were hit with a rather nasty thunderstorm when we were out driving.  So I was able to take a few pictures to compare and contrast between the Lumia and my Galaxy Sll.

samsung galaxy Sll

Nokia Lumia 928


Just playing with the phone I could tell I really do like the camera more. The GPS is excellent.  I don't know what it is about the Sll, but it's GPS just flat out SUCKS.  I haven't had any issues with the Lumia's, aside from the fact I cannot get Waze for it. We LOVE the Cinema photo feature.  For those who don't know what that is, it allows you to animate a portion of a photo. So, for example we were stopped at a light, I took a picture of the car turning in front of us.  And then I animated his blinker.  So cool!

And, lets face it.  The JBL Wireless charging speaker just flat out ROCKS.  It can also be made to work with other phones as well.  My husband for example used it with his Iphone 4, it won't charge, but can use the speakers.

What I/we did not like.

Email.  I found it a 'necessary' thing to log out of my email prior to having the party.  If people were going to be playing with the phone, I just didn't want them all having unlimited access to my personal stuff.  Well to accomplish this you have to reset the phone completely.  MAJOR suckage!

Facebook:  The actual app I found it impossible to upload images via messaging.  Not a deal breaker, but annoying.

App Store:  This was such a bummer.  I couldn't get even half the apps I use on a daily basis in the window's app store. 

PARTY TIME!

We kept our gathering to family.  Invited my parents and Aunt/Uncle/cousins over for a bbq.

The below images were taken with the Galaxy Sll

Of course when people arrived we had some tunes blaring from the JBL speaker.

For the most part everyone seemed quite thrilled with the phone.  Some people flat out don't have smart phones, so in that regard we couldn't go wrong.

The below images were taken of people using the Lumia, with an Iphone4

Unfortunately, we had dinner early enough we had to wait for the light to go down somewhat, and....well being my family there was some adult beverages involved.  So getting people motivated to put real effort in taking pictures was hard, even with offering up the speaker as a prize.  And the Pictures themselves didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

Lesson?  No open bar.

Below taken with an older model Black berry

Below taken with the Lumia 928

Lumia 928 on the left VS. Samsung SGH-T40 4G

The above photo was the winner of the JBL speaker.  I'm not entirely sure how fair this was.  this was the winner by default.  Simply because they were the only individual to actually follow the directions.  Which was to take a picture with your current phone.  And then duplicate the picture (For compare/contrast) with the Lumia 928.

Again, next time -- no adult beverages.

Winner was actually my father with the Samsung SGHT40  I guess he didn't think I was serious about the speaker being the prize, as it's still in my possession.....for...now.

Overall the party was a success.  The guests loved getting together and 'playing,' and free food is always good too.  (We grilled hamburgers and brauts)

Overall the lumia was very well received.  No one had any previous experience with a windows phone prior to the party. So people were skeptical on wanting to 'change' platforms.  Admittedly so, I was too.  The biggest phone feature hit hands down was the Cinema photo feature.  My cousin even commented that it is 'Just like Tumbler!' (I.....am old and have no idea what that is)...

THANK YOU To both Verizon Mobile, And Crowdtap for this opportunity.

Who doesn't love a give away?

Check out Andrea and her reviews.  She's currently having a give away for the soda stream. YUM! (At least according to her, I haven't tried it....yet...)

http://bobbysgirl777.blogspot.com/2012/09/soda-stream-review.html?showComment=1348682949026#c8100455960266271525

Crowdtap -- McCormick Grill Mates

I had the honor of trying out some tasty products curtsey of Crowdtap and McCormick.

First, I gotta say my original plans went bust, we had planned on going out to see my husbands family over labor day weekend....and grilling with all of them.  But, it just wasn't in the cards apparently.

So I had to improvise.  And decided to have several 'small' parties at my parents house.   We currently live with them and are moving next month.  So we figured this would be a good opportunity for our kids to have dinner with a friend.  And a bit of a goodbye.

First up was the McCormick marinade.   Honestly I was skeptical because it flat out did not cover much meat at all.  but mixing it was easy, and it smelled quite good.  I just wasn't sure it would flavor the meat enough. 

Grill mates Spicy Brandy and Herb

1 package Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons apple cider or white vinegar
2 pounds chicken, pork or salmon

I let the meat marinade for about 2 hours, and then tossed it on the grill, and cooked until done.

Because of the amount this cooked, we did this portion solo.  We absolutely loved the chicken, and this seasoning will make it into our rotation as a result!!!  I think it was even better cold and left over.  Yum!

McCormick's Steak Seasoning

We actually use this seasoning on a regular basis already, and absolutely love it.  We use it on steaks (Obviously)  But I also use it in many hamburger dishes.  For hamburgers I'll typically season with the steak seasoning and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce for some added zing.   Best home made hamburger I've come across.

McCormick's Molasses Bacon Blend

For the bacon lover in your life!  I opened this up and my immediate thought was sweetened bacon bits.

I used this to season ground beef and we had hamburgers.

Here's where I confess....no picture, the dog ate it.  Or maybe my memory card. I digress.

For this we invited a couple of my kids friends over, I had the kids draw pictures of various animals.  (Pig, cow, chicken, notice the theme?)  And then let the kids play pin the tail on the barn animal while food cooked.

Since this wasn't fully an adults gathering, I was nice and had a few sample pieces for the other kids parents to give a try later in the evening.

Bacon flavored hamburgers (topped with more bacon) Came with mixed opinion.  For me and my husband it didn't come anywhere close to my typical hamburger blend.  The kids absolutely loved it though, and my dog was 'beggin for bacon'!

The other adults seemed to have a 'take it or leave it but because it's free food we'll take it' mentality.

McCormick Slow And Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub

1 pkg. Grill Mates® Slow & Low BBQ Rub
2 racks pork baby back ribs (about 4 pounds)

*Can also use other cuts and types of meat.

I took the opportunity to try a different cut of meat, as it was a cheaper alternative.

PULLED PORK BABY!

I rubbed the pork and threw it in the crock pot and let it cook until it shredded easily.  (Roughly 5 hours)

Then shredded it!

 

And then I took it one step further and added McCormick's Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce.  And let me tell you, you could smell the bourbon in this!

The bbq sauce left a bit of a 'bite' that I haven't experienced with other sauces, but we don't typically go one that has an alcohol flavoring, either.

Again I let the kids draw their farm pictures, and play pin the tail on the piggy.  The kids loved this meal the most, without a doubt.  They called it 'Sloppy pigs' (Spin off of sloppy joes)

This was also one that I had enough left overs to give parents decent samples.  YAY!  Everyone loved it all around.  The rub will definitely make it into our rotations, the bbq sauce will as well, but I don't think we liked it enough to solely replace our usual sauce.

Thanks Crowdtap and McCormick!!!

Crowdtap -- Totally Biased Premiere Party

Or lordy, where do I start with this?  I was given an opportunity through crowdtap to host a party for 'Totally Biased"  A comedy series featuring W. Kamau Bell.  The series airs on FX at 11pm est.  Though when I looked on our schedule (Colorado) it was at 12am, if I'm not mistaken.

First of all due to the time in which this aired, we ended up DVRing the program and watching it a couple nights later.  What on earth did we all do before the DVR was created?

It was a small gathering, just four of us. Instead of doing any snacks during the show, we just all ate dinner prior (fajitas, YUM)  And then sat down to watch once I got the kids in bed.

Across the board, none of us were that impressed.  I honestly only recall two spots where anyone really laughed.  There may have been a few chuckles thrown in here and there, but nothing significant.

We generally found it respectable when Bell was doing the temple skit.  I half expected him to be really crass about the whole situation.  But he wasn't....and in the end said that NONE of the people used in the skit deserved to be shot.  "Except maybe the sith."  Ok, the Sith isn't a real person, so I can tolerate that.   

The other notable skit was the frisking, for NY 'Stop and frisk' policy.  Some of the people's responses were chuckle worthy. (It'd be ok if the cop was hot and a female....unless you lean the other way, then hot and male is acceptable.)   The part that had a few of us really laughing was how to make the frisks more entertaining.  Basically putting random things in your pants pocket. Sprinkles, chocolate syrup, oatmeal, magicians scarf, etc....

At the end of the program Chris Rock came out for a little chat.  We all like Chris, but didn't find most of this all that funny.  It just seemed like they were just having a normal conversation.

My husband was the one who got the most laughs, along with my father.  My mother, I don't think cracked a smile the entire program, and I had a couple chuckles.

Overall the opinion was the show wasn't as funny and entertaining as we had hoped and expected.  So we're split as to if we will continue with the series.  Personally I think the show has some potential, but the first episode fell short, for whatever reason. 

Woolite Extra Dark Care Review

Thanks to crowdtap I was able to sample woolites new product for extra dark clothes.

In the package was 10 samples (Some to be handed out) And to try myself.  Honestly I can't think of any detergent that 'ruins' dark clothes after just one wash.  And I wasn't willing to wash an article 10 times just to see if it really 'worked'

But I had an idea.  If we're going to test for fading with only ONE wash, it needs to be the initial wash.  So, I raided the fabric stash for some new unwashed dark fabric.

But I decided to take it one step further, it needs to CLEAN as well, right?  So I was brutal to the fabric.. and slapped on some common staining foods/products.

 

The offending products: 

Marker
cooking oil
Ketchup
Mustard
Deodorant

Popsicle

Then I let the products 'set' for about four hours.

Time to wash!!!

I then washed the other swatch like I normally would, with the kirkland brand detergent.  Twinkie defense, I didn't get a picture.

Once both were done washing and drying it was time to compare.

Both were very comparable in terms of softness/scent/color but one did do a much better job at removing the staining offenders.

Can you guess which one is which?

On the left, the marker and a faint bit of mustard remains.
On the right, some marker and a significant amount of mustard remains.

And as you can see the coloring of the fabric is very comparable, it doesn't appear one has 

faded any more or less than the other. 

Time for the moment of truth!

Left swatch: Kirkland

Right swatch: Woolite extra dark care

So as you can see, stain wise, kirkland wins, hands down.  Keep in mind

this was done without any special staining treatment.

I'd be VERY curious to see how the woolite maintains clothing coloring over a 

prolonged period of time.