Men's gift guide

I hope that the ladies gift guide was helpful to some of you because now it is the men's turn for gifting suggestions. Again, all gifts are painfully close to $50 so that we can give a great gift without breaking the bank. (I am having some trouble with the formatting of photos, so sorry, click the link to see the full photo...sorry)

The first gift for the guys honors those brainiac boys in our life. So he can't throw a football 50 yards or maybe not even 10 yards. But he is a pro at helping the kids learn long division and can tally the total of the grocery list in his head so let's honor that!

This cute shirt is available here for $14.95

We all know the first rule about Fight Club is that we never speak of it, but I just have to share this soap with you. If you know a guy that is a fan of Fight Club he will definitely get a kick out of receiving his own piece of the movie.

You can get it here and purchase it for $4.50

If your guy loves to quench his thirst with some beer, soda, or heck, even juice he will love doing so in these pint glasses. You can pick out the perfect design for your guy. (My personal favorite is the mustache).

You can buy it here for $15.00

This gift is over $50, but it is the only one to do so. If you have a gamer in your household they have more likely than not been pining away for the release of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2. It the highly anticipated follow up to Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare. If you know a guy with either an XBox 360 or Playstation 3, they are sure to enjoy finding this under the tree.

Price: $59.99 and can be found here.

If you are lucky enough to have a handy guy in your life he will LOVE the the Leatherman Skeletool. It is light weight so he can carry it with him at all times and the number of things that this baby can do is amazing. Check it out here (it is on sale for $56.00!)

If you know a man that takes pride in his grooming he will totally appreciate this shaving brush and soap kit. And as a plus, the nice wood handle and soap container will look charming on the bathroom counter. You can buy it here

Many guys at one point in there life have a love affair with working out. This kettle bell makes it so that your guy can pump some iron from home. It may seem like a simple little thing but the kettle bell can really result in a really exhausting work out! It can be bought here

Midas Touch Beer is has got the beer connoisseur's name written all over it. The recipe for this beer is that of the actual oldest known fermented drink! I have actually tried this beer and it has a nice fruity, robust, unique flavor. This definitely enhances the experience of drinking beer. I mean how cool is it to say that you have had beer that was also made thousands of years ago!?

It can be bought here for $14.71

It's no secret that Theodore Roosevelt was one of the toughest Presidents that ever was. In "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" it chronicles this bad ass President's rise to greatness. It's a history book that reads like a novel.

It can be purchased here for $14.36

I might be a little biased on this next item on the list because my boyfriend has this aftershave. Every time he kisses me goodbye in the morning I get a great whiff of his aftershave and it starts my day off with a smile. It has a wonderful, non overbearing smell-I hate when guys have waaay to much aftershave on. And better yet, my boyfriend says it really works! A win win situation!

You can buy it here for $6.99

Holiday Gift Guide For The Ladies

It is the time of year again where we look for that special something for those special someones in our life. But the landscape of gift giving looks a little different since we are all operating with a little less money. (And if you aren't having that problem, good on you! You can still look at this list...just buy multiples of the items haha!)

These items are for the ladies and I have tried to stay under or veeery close to $50!

The first item on the list is the only one to go over $50 but I just had to include these jeans. I was given the jeans at a Born To Fit Party and ever since I have been literally attached at the hip with the Always Skinny cut. They are comfortable and flattering to any woman. I know it sounds too good to be true but I have seen many different shapes and sizes in these jeans and they all looked great! If a lady you know is in need of new denim treat her to these!

Price: $69.50 They can be found here.

I was browsing etsy the other day and stumbled upon these adorable soaps! Yes, the picture below features real soap. The seller has so many other awesome, realistic looking, vegan, soaps. Check out their shop here.

Price: $10 for this whole s'mores set!

My wristlet is one of my most favorite purchases that I have made for myself. The wristlet is so perfect for evenings out when a whole purse will prove to be too cumbesome. I am able to fit my phone, cash and i.d. in it. And at $48 this snazzy coach wristlet is hard to resist! You can find it here!

The next item is Nars blush in Orgasm (giggle giggle). I reviewed this blush way back in the day. I loved it then and I still love it today, in fact I still use it to this day. Nars blush in orgasm is a color that really compliments maaaany different skin tones during many different seasons. Whether this is a gift for someone like myself that doesn't know much about make up or a seasoned pro, any girl would benefit from having this shade of blush in her make up bag.

Price: $25 and can be found here

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a cook book by Ree Drummond, most widely known for her website, thepioneerwoman.com. Each recipe includes step by step instructions with photos which makes it very easy to make creative meals for the whole family. The Pioneer Woman Cooks includes a peek into what life is like for a family on a cattle ranch too. If a long time cook needs a little oomph in her kitchen routine or a novice cook needs some really easy meal ideas this is the book for either of them!

Price: $16.50 and can be found here

The Help is one of the best books I have read in a very long time and for an avid reader like myself, that is a title you don't just throw around. The Help follows the story of women living amidst the turmoil of strained race relations of the 1960's. It is a page turner that leaves you wondering what happens next after each chapter. I absolutley recommend this book for any book lover.

Price: $16.21 and can be found here

Jewelry is one of my favorite gifts to give and receive. Rachel Eva's jewelry line is a wonderful collection of simply stunning accessories with affordable price tags. The earrings below are a personal favorite of mine and they are available for only $28! Rachel Eva has an Etsy shop and a website where you can pick out the perfect piece of jewelry.

I love Nail Lacquer by OPI, check out my review here. I have quite a few of their shades but this one in Big Apple Red is a classic must have and it's seasonal to boot! Great stocking stuffer indeed.

Price: $8.50 and can be purchased here

Fragonard solid perfumes are another item on the list that I personally own (You can read my review of them here). These scents are great to throw your purse so you can refresh as often as you need without worrying about a bottle breaking in your bag. The scents of all six solid perfumes are classic and a great tester to see if you want to sample them before buying a larger spray perfume.

Price: $40 and you can find them here

These undies are the best! They are called Hanky Panky Panties and they are so comfortable. I guarantee a thong loving lady will be over the moon for these lacey wonders. A very exciting stocking stuffer for your lady friend!

Price $18 and can be purchased here with free shipping!

Hope this list inspired the little gift elf in you! Stay tuned for my gift guide for men!

P.S. And what kind of granddaughter would I be if I didn't mention my nani's (grandma's) etsy shop. She is selling her home made slippers and will do custom orders if you like :) Check it out here

Olay Thermal Pedicure

I have dancer's feet, tried and true. If you don't know what dancers feet are just picture toes bent over from being crammed in tiny little pointe shoes and calluses trying to defend the formerly soft skin of the foot. Scary picture huh? Well sadly my feet are dancer's feet and within the last couple months I have developed (deep breath) cracks in my heels. Noooooo!

I decided to poke around in my drawer of numerous products. I came across Olay Thermal Pedicure that my mom had put in my stocking for Christmas last year. Well I was so distraught from my new development of cracked heels that I whipped the cap off of the container.

Olay Thermal Pedicure claims to get rid of rough icky skin while a heated sensation makes your feet feel downright delicious (so maybe those aren't the words printed on the package). But guess what you guys? IT WORKS! I rubbed the lotion on my feet and was caught off guard by how well the heating agent works. It feels so good I could drool! And what is even better is that it got rid of my heel cracks!

Now I keep this secret weapon in my shower and use it any time my feet feel like a little spruce up is in order. I totally recommend this product!

-This Is NOT a paid review

Photo Credit Here

Trident Layers Gum

When Trident contacted me and asked me to review their new Trident Layers gum I said "well why not?!", especially since they were going to be sending me free gum!

Who doesn't love free gum?

Well I eagerly awaited the arrival of my free gum and when it finally reached my mouth I was more than pleased.

Here are the top five reasons this gum tickled my taste buds:

1. You can chew it for a long while and it doesn't get hard or putty like.

2. The flavor is unique because of the creative flavor blends of orange and strawberry and pineapple and green apple. And you guys, "unique" is not code for gross, this stuff is gooood!

3. I feel like with gum you have to choose fresh breath or good flavor-you get both with Trident Layers!

4. The package has 14 pieces of gum...don't you feel like you never get enough of the yummy gum and too many of the junky, chemical tasting gums?

5. You can blow some pretty snappy bubbles with this sassy little gum.

Photo Credit HERE

Lush Solid Shampoo and Conditioner

I have mentioned a couple times how I have been looking for a shampoo that would take care of my dandruff once and for all! Well, I think I might have found it...

Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo

I have never tried solid shampoo before so I was pretty skeptical. However, I had heard that some good things about some other products from Lush so I decided to give it a go. This solid shampoo is lathers amazingly with very few swipes on my scalp and smells so refreshing and earthy. It also happens to have lasted me for about a month and a half so far...and it is still not finished yet! I was very impressed by this solid shampoo in the shower and what do ya know? Out of the shower it worked just as well....it got rid of my dandruff!! Woot woot! At $7.95, how can you not pick up this little gem?!

Jungle Conditioner

Unfortunately, I wasn't totally wowed by the solid conditioner. This didn't seem to last as long as the shampoo and it actually seemed to melt in my hands. The Jungle conditioner doesn't cover the hair as well and it leaves my thick hair feeling stringy and hard to manage.

But, one out of two isn't so bad is it?

Sisterhood of the Born To Fit Jeans

I don't know if you have noticed, but lately there has been a rash of "Gap Born to Fit Parties" popping up everywhere. Not that I am complaining or anything. Ok ok actually I complained a little, because I heard that they gave you free jeans and darn it I like free stuff and there was not a Gap party anywhere within site. That was until the lovely Kristin invited me to hers. These "Born to Fit" parties are brought to the Internet by the same lovely ladies at Brand About Town that supplied my Nintendo Party (still not over how cool that was). Kristin also said that if I had some friends that would like to come and get free jeans, they were welcome to do so...so I brought some, Erin and Carrie in fact.

Here I am the amazing hostess Kristin! This girl just got back from swimming in the Arctic Ocean, yes you read that right, and then came home to host this party like it was no big thing. I swear, she can do it all.

There were yummy snacks and cookies and all sorts of things I should have eaten after trying on jeans, details details.
And then there were the jeans. Oh my. Honestly, I approached the jeans with much trepidation. Jeans shopping is more hellacious for me than bathing suit shopping, now that is saying a lot. After a day of shopping for jeans I usually feel very angry at the fact that I am not taller, skinnier, and unable to fit in any of the 500 pairs of jeans that I tried on.

So I wiggled my way into my first pair of jeans (everyone has a funny little wiggle that they do when they put on jeans right?...right?). And with wide eyed amazement I realized they fit, just like that, it's like they were BORN TO FIT! (So that's why they named them that!) I looked at everyone and said, "These are magic pants! They are like the sisterhood of traveling pants!" And at first everyone just kinda nodded at that Sassy girl that doesn't get out much, but as soon as they put them on too they understood the magic. Let me tell you this, there are very few things in this life that are as great as than getting free jeans, that fit well, on the first try.

And once more, here are my lovely friends thanking their lucky stars that their friend is so obsessed with the Internet.

Kristin, thank you for inviting us to your great party!

Abazias Diamonds

The Internet has brought so many things we never imagined to our doorstep. You can order food, clothing, books, kitchen appliances, and now DIAMONDS!

Yes, diamonds.

I was contacted by Abazias.com to share this amazing fact with you guys. Now I know what you are thinking, diamonds from a website...I don't know about that.

It's one thing to buy a used book online and a whole other to buy a diamond online.And at first I was skeptical too. That was until I explored the diamond mine that is their website.Their sidebar boasts that they have been featured in magazines such as "Lucky", "Maxim", and "Modern Bride" to name a few. One of my favorite parts of the website is that you can design your engagement ring, which I may be guilty of spending a fair amount of time on (cushion cut...no princess cut...no cushion cut...with a gold band...eh how about platinum...trust me I was on there for a while.). And if you don't know your diamonds from a rock on the ground they have a great section to educate the diamond novice.

And the best part? If you are in need of assistance or a hand to hold as you buy your diamonds, get this, you can call their toll free number and speak to a person...a real live person! So when you are lucky enough to be giving or receiving diamonds and don't want to deal with the stress of over the counter sales people, you can buy your diamonds from your own home at Abazias.com!

*This review was paid for by the lovely people at Abazias.com

Proactiv Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner

Alright, I'll be honest I have a dandruff issue. And having dark brown hair does not help at all.

I was pretty happy with the way Proactiv helped my skin so I had faith that the anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner would help me out with my dandruff problem.

Well I was wrong.

Not only did it not clear up my dandruff but it made my hair feel nasty. Like I'm talking wiry, greasy, and un-manageable. Even if it did clear up my dandruff I would not be willing to deal with such awful hair as a by-product. Thinking it might have been a fluke I tried the shampoo and conditioner duo a couple more times and the outcome was the same each time.

This product is a no go for dandruff relief.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any good recommendations for anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner?

Sharing A Little Piece Of Happy!

Trident asked me to share some "Little Pieces of Happy" with you guys. And really now, who doesn't like sharing happy? So I picked out some of my favorite happy spreaders for you guys!
Thanks Trident!

Bamboo Dog De-Shedding Comb

Frank has started to shed like a mad man and that means every inch of my clothing is covered in fur; fur of the cutest pup that ever walked the earth, but fur no less. I saw this comb at my local pet store and decided that I would give it a try.

Thankfully it took no more than one stroke to realize that this comb was the real deal. Not only did it get the loose surface fur but it got nice and deep and got tons the other fur that was waiting to attack my next black outfit.

I totally recommend this de-shedding comb if you have a dog or cat that has a knack for shedding. You can find out where to get it here!

Flying Duck By Hyper Products

Frankie recently hurt his leg (oh and for those of you just tuning in, Frankie is my adorable english bulldog.)

See told you he is flippin adorable. Well anyway, Frank managed to tweak his leg and the vet ordered that he be confined to small spaces (i.e. his crate and such spaces). Well as you can imagine this made me really sad, so what does any guilty mom do? Buy their baby new toys!

I headed to Target's dog isle and bought Frank a "Flying Duck" by Hyper Products.

Frank has a love for ducks. He has 3 stuffed ducks that he plays with constantly. I really like the duck by Hyper Products because it seemed to be made out of a nylon-like material which seemed like it would last longer than the plush ducks that he already had.

Well I was wrong. I gave Frank this duck and he LOVED it! However, he was able to tear open both wings and take out squeakers that were inside. This is really scary because if he put those squeakers in his mouth he could have easily choked on them. This freaks me out like no other.

So unfortunately I don't recommend this product to other dog owners because of the choking hazard, which is a shame because Frank really liked playing with this toy.

Elvis Candles

When I went to Memphis, to Graceland more specifically, I picked up these awesome candles and I have to admit that they are hands down my favorite souvenir that I returned with (and believe me, I bought MANY souvenirs) aaand they may even be my favorite candles....ever!

 The first candle is called "Jail House Rock" scented candle.  At first I was all, "ew a candle that smells like a jail house...sick". But then I cracked open the container and oh my goodness beautiful Cinnamon/Vanilla goodness filled my nose. I kid you not it smells sooooo goooood. I think it compliments cooler weather and a cup of cocoa. The smell makes you want to cuddle. And it has glitter in it...I love glitter.

The next candle is called "Aloha from Hawaii/Burning Love" candle. This candle packs a beautiful smelling punch. It is Mango and Strawberry scented. It is the perfect scent for a BBQ, warm summer night or a night in the dead of winter when you want to be reminded of just what summer is again.  I am burning this candle now, it also covers up dog farts wonderfully!
Both candles fill your home with such powerful, yet not over powering scents that may even encourage you to sing their praises (the King would be proud). And if you are not an Elvis fan (GASP!) you can just tear off the label and enjoy these candles. I was kinda reluctant to burn these candles because they smelled so good and I didn't want to run out of them. But now I have found them on the internet net and am toying with the idea of stocking up on them. You can find the candles here and here.

Photos brought to you by ShopElvis.com

J.R. Watkins

Okay, I'll admit it, I was attracted J.R. Watkins all purpose cleaner because of the packaging. Yup, I fell in love with the clear bottle and the olden timey label. At first I told myself just to grab the Windex like usual, because hello!, not a good idea to buy stuff because of what it looks like. I read the label and saw that it was all natural and not tested on animals, and get this, reasonably priced ($5.99 for a 24 0z bottle)! So I decided to give this new all purpose cleaner a try.

I got this pretty little bottle home and literally used it for all purposes! It works on the mirrors without leaving streaks, it works on counter tops, on on the bathroom floor after the pup has an accident...I could keep going on but I am feeling like you get the picture. And let me tell you the lemon scent smells awesome! Which I think is muuuuuch better than a chemical smell any ole day. I mean really, who wants to smell chemicals after you are done cleaning your house?

Being so pleased with the all purpose cleaner I decided to buy the Aloe and Green Tea dish soap. Again, totally pleased. It bubbles nicely and gets the dishes nice and sparkly-with of course a delicious scent.

I am so happy with the two J.R. Watkins products I have purchased that I cannot wait to try the rest (and they have tons of products, they even have spices!). In other words I totally would not mind it at all if J.R. Watkins sent me some more of their products to try. DO YOU HEAR ME MR. J.R. WATKINS?

Earth Friendly Tumbler

When we last spoke about re-usable drink holders I was all about the Sigg. And to be honest, I still do love my Sigg but I needed an update on my drink holder for many reasons. The main reason being was that the Sigg became increasingly stinky with fewer and fewer uses between each wash, the next reason being was that I enjoy hot beverages and the Sigg was not hot beverage friendly.

So I figured that Starbuck's would have a nice array of tumblers that would be hot and cold drink friendly and I was right. I picked this lovely little 16 oz number.

I liked the look of it and the amount of beverage it could hold. Not only is it cute but it is made from 28% post consumer recycled content! And as a pat on the back there was a coupon for a free drink because I was saving the earth with my purchase. Also, when you bring in your cup to order a drink you get a discount (I think it is somewhere around 10 cents, but still a discount is a discount).

If you are interested you can get it here

Country Bob's Barbeque Sauce

Country Bob's contacted me about testing out some of their All PurposeBarbeque Sauce-heck yeah I would! The sent me some bottles of their All Purpose Sauce. I put it on some chicken and then some meatballs, and then a number of other things!

I shared it with my family and they all liked it; and I have some picky eaters in my family.

I am eager to try some of their other flavors, like the All Purpose Spicy Sauce! I recommend the All Purpose Sauce for, well, all purposes! It is for sure a barbeque sauce for all barbeque lovers. You can find some here!
Thanks Country Bob's for sending me some of your yummy sauce!

Suze Orman: 2009 Action Plan

My least favorite word right now? Economy! oof!

But let's face it we need to take a long hard look at ourselves (our bank accounts) in the mirror. We can't dance around the topic anymore can we?

I know I can't. But I didn't know where to start.

That's where Suze steps in:

As you may remember I am huge fan of Suze Orman. She is honest, tough, but always fair. Suze saw that we all needed some guidance when it came to our current economic situation so she quickly put together "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan".

I sped through this book so quickly it's not even funny. There were many times when I wanted to turn away, shut the book and go on living blissfully unaware. But I knew I had to forage ahead, this was important. I learned many helpful tips from Suze (once again) and it was especially helpful because she had our current situation in mind.

And like last time Suze offered this book free on the Internet for a few days. While it isn't available now I still have a copy saved on my desk top and I am willing to share. So e-mail me if you would like me to e-mail you a copy!

Anything Ken Can Do, Barbie Can Do Better!

Growing up I had a plethora of Barbies, I went to the Barbie Museum in California, and had drove around the neighborhood in my Power Wheels Barbie Corvette (Oh how I wish I could still fit in it). I loved Barbie and I had many reasons for doing so. My main reason for being a Barbie girl was the hope she instilled in my young mind, with Barbie as a role model I could be anything. I would walk down the Barbie isle in amazement as she would don a space suit, a veterinarian's lab coat or look stunning in floor length ball gown. Barbie was an example to me and other girls, that you could be feminine and smart and pursue your dreams, whatever they may be. And while Ken was a part of the picture, he wasn't the entire picture. The emphasis wasn't on him, it was on Barbie and her dreams. That's such a wonderful message for 11.5 inches of doll dontcha think?

Even though my Barbie days are far behind me, she is still inspiring young girls. In fact, this year is Barbie's 50th Anniversary of inspiring fun and dreams. There are numerous celebrations taking place to honor this blonde icon; Stila is getting All Doll'd up with their new line of "Barbie loves Stila" cosmetic collection, Mercedes Benz is sponsoring a Barbie fashion show at New York's fashion week and, get this, a REAL Barbie Dream House is being built in Malibu and Barbie's birthday party will be held there (the little girl in me is squealing with delight!). To get in on the Barbie fun check out Blogher for more special offers!

For more info on Barbie's 50th Anniversary Celebration you can visit Barbie's All Doll'd Up blog (http://www.barbie.com/alldolldup), it's the place to celebrate fifty years of fun, fashion and friends. Read about everything from the most talked about runway moments, hottest parties, chicest trends and more. Check out exclusive video content, photo galleries and all the latest must-have goodies! Become a Barbie fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barbie) for even more of the hottest buzz surrounding Barbie's 50th - and follow Barbie's tweets at (http://twitter.com/barbiestyle.)

What is your favorite Barbie memory?

Heart Shaped Measuring Cups

Ever since I melted my old measuring cups in the dishwasher I was in search of some new ones with a little more pizazz. I originally wanted these measuring cups made out of bone china. But then I said, who am I kidding? I am clumsy, those darling geese would not last more than a week in my kitchen. So I kept looking from some adorable plastic ones and behold I found these:

They are adorable and make me smile whenever I use them. Who knew a measuring cup could do that? Oh and yes, most importantly they work well.

So there you have it, adorable measuring cups that I love and recommend a million times over.

I purchased mine at Target for $2.50 (they were in the dollar spot area). If you don't have a Target nearby (gasp!), you can find them here for waaay more money, but I would probably still buy them for $14.

The Glimmer Palace

I received this book from Blogher as one of the many free give aways. I love give aways, especially when books are involved.

I started this book without having any idea what it was about which is a rare occurrence for me.

The book follows the life of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite from her time as German orphan, maid, wife, show girl in early 20th century Berlin. The book does a wonderful job at chronicling the friends, lovers, and opportunities that wove themselves in and out of Lilly's life.

The Glimmer Palace has a total of 400 pages and I usually avoid books this long because I tend to lose interest after page 300. However, I was interested in The Glimmer Palace all the way to end mainly because the author did a great job at chronicling Lilly's life so that the reader felt involved in the story but a the same time able to step back as an observer of a pretty fascinating life.

The main thing I enjoyed about his book is how it reminded me that humans are incredibly resilient and that each one of us lives a multitude of different lives in one lifetime.

Totally recommend this book even if you don't get it free like I did.

Rating:Watermelon!

Seeing Me Naked By Liza Palmer

When I am up to my ears in text books it is so important that I make time for really fun books too. Well my dear friend Carrie bought me the book, "Seeing Me Naked", for Christmas. Carrie had been raving about this book so I was so glad that I had the chance to read it.

"Seeing Me Naked" is about a twenty something woman, Elizabeth Page. Elizabeth is doing her best to make a name for herself as a chef, however it proves difficult when she has to come out of her father's shadow. There is so more to this story, family relationships, finding your own voice, and making the choice that feels right-regardless of the odds against you. There is truly something that many women could relate to, I know I did. I loved the character of Elizabeth so much that I wish that her character would have her own series of books!

I totally recommend this book. I finished this book in two days, and if that's not an endorsement I don't know what is!

Dare I say it...I rate this book watermelon!