indoor wireless remote

I was looking for an easier way to turn our 

Christmas tree lights on and off.

I found an  Indoor Foot Switch Extension Cord but

 the cord was 15 feet long and would look cluttered

Then I found an  AmerTac Indoor Wireless 

Remote Plug-In Receiver Kit

Gotta tell you I love this little gadget.

on / off couldn't be easier

affordable mascara

I have been looking for the perfect mascara for quite awhile.

It seems like after trying new ones 

I pretty much always return to 

L'Oreal Voluminous

Lately I have combined it with 

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume

layering them both together in several coats

Next on my list to try is 

L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes

recommended by 

The Small Things blog

I am curious if you have a favorite mascara

that cost less than $20. 

wide awake coffee

These are my new go-to cups for my Keurig Coffee Maker

Wide Awake Coffee Single Serve Cups

feature a cool mesh technology

that doesn't use plastic bottoms

They come in a resealable inner bag with a valve 

similar to what bagged coffee comes in.

There are lots of great blends to choose from.

The coffee is dark and full bodied yet smooth.

I love the pods compared to the plastic cups.

The plastic K-cups are not recyclable. 

There is not as much waste with these mesh cups

I have been buying mine at our local Tops store.

They go on sale at least once a month

so you can purchase them for less than 50 cents per cup

wide awake coffee company

peet's coffee

My Shop Smart Magazine recommends Peet’s Coffee K-cups 

so I thought I would give them a try. 

Turns out they are pretty good.

My go to coffee lately has been Jamaican Me Crazy 

{flavored coffee, infused with rich coconut flavor and an island twist} 

but it has been fun trying these new blends.

Do you have a favorite K-cup?

House Blend Coffee

Dark Roast

This best-of-house blend was crafted by Mr. Peet himself at our first café in Berkeley, CA. Selecting the finest beans, he hand roasted in small batches for rich, distinctive flavor. Four decades later, Peetniks everywhere are at home with House.

Major Dickason's Blend Coffee

Dark Roast

1969. Our first store on Vine Street. Loyal customer Key Dickason approaches Alfred Peet with his own blend. Mr. Peet tinkers. Before you know it, our all-time bestseller is born. Rich, complex, multi-layered; like a relationship with an old friend

Brazil Minas Naturais Coffee

Medium Roast

We select Brazil’s finest beans from the region of Minas Gerais, preferring those known as ‘naturals.’ By this method, our favorite fazendas (farms) dry whole coffee cherries in the warm Brazilian sun, imbuing the beans with a sumptuous sweetness.

Cafe Domingo Coffee

Medium Roast

There’s nothing like great coffee to bring friends and neighbors together. This Latin American medium roast pays tribute to an old pastime: lingering in one of our cafés, sipping an expertly brewed cup.

savings catcher

I recently began using Wal-Mart Savings Catcher

After signing up you just enter your receipt number and the

webpage searches for the same items sold for less at other stores.

Wal-Mart then credits the difference on a gift card for you to use in their store.

Here are a couple of samples of  my recent receipts . . .

{photo credit: blog.es3.com}

Purchase Summary from October 07, 2014: Lower price found 3 items

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail  Qty: 1.00

$2.98 Wal-Mart

$2.50 Kmart

$0.48 You get back

Centrum Silver Vitamins  Qty: 1.00

$9.97 Wal-Mart

$5.99 Tops Friendly

$3.98 You get back

Swiffer Max Dry Refills  Qty: 1.00

$8.47 Wal-Mart

$4.49 CVS

$3.98 You get back

Purchase Summary from September 03, 2014: Lower price found 2 items 

Club Crackers Multigrain  Qty: 1.00

$2.88 Wal-Mart

$2.50 Kmart

$0.38 You get back

Lays Wavy Regular  Qty: 1.00

$2.88 Wal-Mart

$1.99 Walgreens

$0.89 You get back

Purchase Summary from October 12, 2014: Lower price found 2 items 

Sam Adams Seasonal 12 pack Qty: 1.00

$14.47 Walmart

$13.00 Kmart

$1.47 You get back

Diet Coke 2 liter  Qty: 1.00

$1.38 Wal-Mart

$0.99 Tops

$0.48 You get back

Total Reward Dollars I've redeemed in the past two months: $11.57

Check it out here: savingscatcher.walmart.com

{I do it on my laptop as I am not very cell phone savoy}

up words

Lucky for us we recently bought a new/used game at our Goodwill store

so . . . on a rainy day in Florida we discovered we really like this game.

It begins a bit like scrabble.

Then you can stack letters to make new words and/or change existing words.

add BAGEL

WORD becomes LORD

BAGEL becomes MOGEL (whoops misspelled)

SHIP becomes SNIT

add NUT

MUFF becomes BUFF

add FIT

ZAP becomes NAP

add CHIN

BUFF returns to MUFF

JUDO becomes VROOM

creates OM (a mantra sound)

add LEVER

By now you get the idea

No stack can be higher than 5 letters.

If you come across this game -  buy it - I promise you will enjoy it.

guard your ID mini roller

My new favorite product

Guard Your ID Mini Roller 1" Wide 160"

 google images

I found mine at Walmart

near the paper shredders

$7

sorry about the annoying music in the above video

you may want to mute it

low-calorie ranch dressing

Finding a low-calorie dressing that tastes good was a challenge until . . . 

My cousin told me about Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Ranch Dressing

{google image}

45 calories a serving (2 Tbls) and delicious

You can find it in a cooler in the produce section

Our Wegman's doesn't carry it but I found it at Publix and Walmart

I am pretty fussy about ranch dressing and only buy Hidden Valley

This is just as good - Thanks Cathy!

zip safe

Sometimes I blog about products that I love

Here is one I recently discovered

Pull film up with both hands toward ceiling

Cover item

Slide ZipSafe across to cut

ZipSafe cuts in both directions

I got mine at Publix here in sunny FL.

Hoping it is available in NY as well.

I am not sure if ChicWrap is the same product

but this shows you how easy it is to use

{along with a catchy little tune}

sleep sheep

I have a product "shout-out" today.

For the Leisure House we purchased these pillows

Serta Won't Go Flat Pillow
{queen size}
and it turns out we love them.

At home I use two pillows at night but with these - one is just enough.

We bought ours at Walmart but have seen them at other stores as well.

between colorings

I totally have to thank Sunny Simple Life for this great tip.
Seems like I need to color those pesky grey roots more often these days.
Here a a temporary solution that I recently tried and was amazed that it worked so well.

Take an eye shadow that is close to your hair color. 

Use the applicator to "paint" the hair near you part where the grey shows. 

It will last and last until your next shampoo.

Hard to believe but true!

daughters of cambodia

Changing lives for victims of trafficking in Cambodia

We ate at this cafe today.



Daughters of Cambodia is a faith-based non-Government organization
reaching out to victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia.

We also did a bit of shopping while supporting this organization.



What They Do and Why?

Daughters has developed a unique model in Cambodia, one in which sex workers come direct to the organization from the brothels by choice. Daughters’ day centre, in the heart of an area of Phnom Penh brothels, reaches out to girls working as sex workers and offers them ways out of this situation. We are not a shelter, but we facilitate the girls' exit from the sex industry by providing a number of resources and programs that enable them to set themselves free and sustain healthy choices for their own lives. They come because they are already motivated to change their lives, and Daughters gives them choice and dignity in building a different future, that make their choices sustainable and respect their human rights.

http://www.daughtersofcambodia.org/index.php

wholly guacamole

My new favorite 100 calorie snack



I found these at Sam's Club and Aldi
Since I am the only one in my house that eats guacamole . . .
they are the perfect size.

ant parade

One morning, in our rented Florida "Italian villa", I saw a few tiny ants in the bathroom with an obvious sweet tooth. We bought an ant trap and set it on the counter that night. In the morning this is what I saw . . .



A little parade of ants marching to the trap and back to a tiny hole in the tile.
I felt like I was watching a documentary on the discovery channel.

By the next day, not an ant in sight.



And . . . no, I don't feel any guilt. Sorry.

your favorite k-cup

I have had my Keurig Coffee Maker for over a year now and
I'm looking for some suggestions from fellow k-cup users.



My go-to coffee is Newman's Own Extra Bold both regular and decaf.


{google image}

I am looking for some new kinds to try but don't
want to buy invest in a whole box in case I don't like it.



Do you have a favorite k-cup?