What’s new friends? Find anything cool on Etsy lately? I have a gift certificate there I want to use but need some inspiration : )
Here are some new things around our house…
Remember way back when I blogged about Doug’s Nuts? A “nut mix coated in a secret sticky-sweet-savory spice?” A new variety of Doug’s famous nuts made its way to my house and this one is even better than the original – Coconut Beach Crunch! {I mean, I love the name alone!} Beer-glazed salty almonds, toasted coconut chips and dark chocolate – just ship me to the Caribbean. I’ve been snacking on it all week.
Speaking of yogurt toppings, I had my first taste of Love Grown’s Cocoa Goodness Oat Clusters – yum!!! I don’t normally like cocoa for breakfast, but this is mellow and divine. Hot melted choco chips for the win.
My friend Sarah is a beauty buff and turned me to to this amazing night cream – Capture Totale Crème by Dior. I haven’t spent that much money on all the face creams I’ve bought in my life put together, but given Sephora’s liberal return policy, I decided to give it a try. I liked it so much that I went back for the Eyes Essential a week later. I figured at 31 it’s time to give my face a little TLC. I’ve been washing it every night (a step in the right direction!) and applying both at bedtime and I have really noticed a difference in everything from complexion to fine lines.
The best part is the smell – love it. This better last me all year!
Maze has been loving the new Melissa and Doug dish set my mom got for him.
He feeds Elmo raisins from the plates : ) The little table was mine when I was a kid! My parents brought it down from their attic and up to our house on their last visit.
Finally we arrive at our giveaway!
AT&T asked if I’d like to review the new Nokia Lumia 2520 and an accompanying Belkin Chef Stand & Stylus for my kitchen. Considering my phone is covered in greasy fingerprints and always gets lost under the kitchen scraps when I cook, the timing on this offer was perfect.
The Nokia runs on Windows 8 and this is my first experience testing it out. (I’m a Samsung/Android girl through and through now, having also tried iPhones in the past). There are lots of things I really love about the Lumia and Windows 8:
- The layout of the apps seems so much more user friendly than simple squares. I love that you can give large size priority to some and keep others as a simple small icon.
- The Lumia’s screen is amazingly crisp and bright – much better than my small Samsung Galaxy Tab. I always thought a 7 inch tablet was just as good as a 10 inch, but boy was I wrong. Those extra 3 inches makes a world of a difference. I’ve watched movies on this already and have been really impressed. The stand is also really helpful for watching shows on it – hands free and titled to the perfect angle.
- The keyboard is so big that I can type like I would on a laptop – huge plus.
- The Internet Explorer app is actually the best browser experience I’ve had on a non-computer. It has little thumbnails to show all the open tabs that are really easy to flip around. The general usability of Windows 8 is impressive. I like how you swipe up and to the sides for more options.
- I love the “live” icons – you can see weather, email, calendar notifications, Facebook updates, and RSS updates all at a glance on their app icons. Widgets are one thing I really love about Android that Apple lacks, and I think Microsoft’s version might be even better.
The stand has been really nice for having a tablet in the kitchen. It’s very non-slip and you can position the tab three ways: side, up and flat. I like that it lifts the tablet off the counters in case something spills.
The stylus that comes with it is completely washable so you can pick it up and scroll through a recipe with messy food hands. The stylus holder is washable too so dripping is not a concern. It works with any kind of tablet, including iPads.
Using Cook Smarts has been so much easier with the big screen and stylus. I have absolutely loved having a large tablet in the kitchen. I only wish there was a way to watch morning news shows on it! I had no luck with the ABC app (Charlottesville is not on the cool list of cities with coverage). I can’t wait until live streaming TV on tablets is the norm. I know it will be someday. I’m not about to waste counter space on a large TV, but a sleek tablet in the kitchen I am already behind.
I asked AT&T if I could give a set away to one of you – hip hip hooray they said yes! Enter to win a tablet + stand of your own. Giveaway runs from today and for a week – ending on Feb 13. USA entries only please.
Me me me !
i know the first one is never chosen, but statistically should have the same chance 🙂
anyways, kath, been reading your blog for a long time now. with your hosted article about paleo… you gave all of us some ideas to think…
i love the varieties of the topics that your blog covers. thanks!
I love Melissa and Doug!! The dish set is just adorable.
I’ve been needing a new granola I’ll have to give that a try!
That’s a pretty sweet tablet!!
I could sure use that for teaching!!!!
My mum has a tablet and aside for the handy practical aspects she’s gotten in to so many games. She sits playing them with my little niece and then professes to only be continuing to play them to please her even when she’s not there! 🙂
thanks for the giveaway! I’m always getting my phone dirty while cooking too, hahaha
I was wondering how well a tablet would work for recipes, I think the stand is key!
You had me at coconut….that looks really delicious…I can see that it would be hard to stop eating…I think I’d need portion control…checking them out now. Thanks.
I think it’s so nice when kids are able to use hand-me-downs from their parents, what a sweet connection!
And yes, that tablet would be WAY better than setting up my laptop in the kitchen all the time…fingers crossed 🙂
That is a nice tablet! Hoping to win one of my own! 🙂
would love to win this! We;ve been huge on meal planning lately and I always have a recipe that IM trying to reference while i’m cooking!
That tablet looks great! My phone has endured more spills than I would like to admit while having it in the kitchen
Wow! What a great giveaway. Would love to have this in my kitchen.
That nut mix sounds amazing! I just found what I think is probably the best beauty product I’ve ever used (and I used to work in a spa so I’m well-educated when it comes to products)–it’s called Marula oil and you can find it at Sephora (ask for a sample if you want to try it out first). It’s unbelievable! Apparently they gave it to a bunch of women who had mastectomies and it healed their skin/any scars they had from it. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it’s healing the small patches of dark pigmentation I had from some acne scarring as well as just making my skin look amazing!
cool! I will ask for a sample : )
Ahh Kath, what a nice surprise – lovely give-a-way for one of your readers.
I am glad you like the new Nokia Lumia 2520, it is indeed something special!
(Ehhm, I am maybe a bit biased… I work at Nokia…. ;))
Those nuts look delicious, I literally go nuts for nuts.
A tight hug to you and CutiePie,
Ella
The tablet looks awesome! The stand would be perfect for recipes in the kitchen too.
I LOVE the Dior night cream. I buy it every so often and it lasts quite awhile. Isn’t the smell heavenly???
The smell is amazing!
I wanted to buy a tablet exclusively for cooking–it is so hard to read recipes off my phone sometimes, but I don’t like wasting a ton of paper.
Mazen looks so cute with his little dish set!
This is the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to enter a giveaway. Mostly because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen something that I might want.
this looks great, and I would love to enter the giveaway, unfortunately I can never figure out how to use rafflecopter – it’s either not very intuitive or I’m not very smart. 🙂
If you hit the +3 or +1 it will drop down the action. Enter your email or Tweet and then past the tweet in : )
Got it -thanks!
watch out for toxins in anti-aging creams: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/57772/Dior_Capture_Totale_Multi-Perfection_Creme_%282009_formulation%29/
love the dish set – so cute!
I had a similar thought. Fancy face creams have many fans, and they seem to work for a lot of people. What’s in them, though? A few months ago I switched to using natural oils as moisturizer. It’s no big deal on the body, especially in the middle of a chilly winter, but putting oil on my face took some getting used to. There’s a moment of terror, like, “Did I just do that?!” But it has been great for my skin, which is sensitive and acne prone. I also have rosacea. I use jojoba oil on my face and grapeseed oil as body lotion/moisturizer, and my spouse uses coconut oil on his face.
Spice Chicken: Do the oils make your face…oily? I’ve often wondered. I’ve been looking for a more natural wrinkle cream…I want something that is effective, but not riddled with chemicals, ya know? I’m gaining some forehead wrinkles and I want to nip them in the bud.
Thank you again for helping us find the Monticello-Saunders trailhead back in November for my wedding. We loved it!
My etsy fave of the moment is this amusing food poster: http://www.etsy.com/listing/121115746/funny-kitchen-art-print-whisk-quote?ref=shop_home_active or my friend Melanie’s greeting cards: http://www.etsy.com/shop/greymoggiepress?ref=l2-shopheader-name.
wish i had twitter just for those 3 entries!!!
I love this site on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/130101755/wooden-ipad-stand he makes really great wooden ipad stands, cutting boards and knife holders.
Love your blog and all the info you share. I tune in every day!! I would love to try this tablet out! Thank you for offering your wisdom, experiences and goodies with us!
Hi Mazen!!!
Would love a chance for the tablet. Love your blog!
This looks amazing, I would LOVE to have this in the kitchen!
You have a total way with inspiring me in the kitchen. I joined up for free on Cooksmart to try their meal plans. I enjoyed my free menus for the week, however I didn’t buy a subscription just yet. With my husband deploying, there’s only one wee me to feed, and even if I love leftovers…I’ll eat them for months by myself! I also loved your facecream review, I’m always terrified to spend too much money on a “miracle cream” so I love the one you listed and that it is working for you!
I would love to use that tablet while cooking!
Man! I used to love using my bf’s iPad when I was trying out new recipes. Unfortunately, it got stolen during our Euro Trip, so I have to resort to using my phone and unlocking it every 30 seconds 🙁
Granola and Nuts! You have two of my most favorite food in the world and they look amazingly more delicious in your photos. Now, thanks to you my stomach is growling. Also, thanks for the review about the tablet. I wish I would LUCKY enough to have it….
Kathy, thank you SO much for this generous giveaway! You are awesome! I drool everytime my mom pulls out her iPad:) THANK YOU AGAIN! I just love your blog, such a nice nightly treat in my inbox!
wow this is a really cool tablet & stand! i hate running back & forth from the computer to the kitchen but so much better than printing every recipe out, thanks for the chance to win, really cool giveaway. my grandkids love melissa & doug toys too.
Right now, I keep my recipes in a 3-ring binder as well as online. It’d be nice to not have to waste the paper. 🙂
Your blog is a work of art! I enjoy reading it!
Thanks,
Christine Howey
whoa a tablet giveaway, I’m in! I still put my laptop on the kitchen counter when cooking. Takes up so much space!
My cable company has an app that I downloaded to watch TV on my tablet. If you have cable, you should check to see if they have an app.
I’ve never entered a giveaway on a blog before, but because I’m a tech addict I’m doing it! Thanks!
Another addiction is beauty products. Do you read Into The Gloss? It’s a beauty blog/online mag and they have awesome recommendations for skincare products. I started using a Claraonic to wash my face and it’s amazing the differnce just that makes in the texture and appearance of your skin. My skin is smooth and glowing and so soft- much improved. Plus I started using Rodin Olio Lusso Face Oil (warning: super pricy, but you only use 3 drops at a time and it should last a year for a small bottle), and that has made another significant difference. Search face oil on Into the Gloss to read all the recommendations they have made for using that as part of your skincare regiment- plus they have all kinds of lists of different brands they recommend, of all price points.
Omg, sorry so long winded! I could go on all day about this! When you get to be my age–49—maintaining your skin is so important. 🙂
Oh man, this would make using blog recipes SO much easier! I always have my phone covered in sauce or I have to put my laptop on top of my microwave. Which I’m sure can’t be good for it!
I have been seeing this at a lot of people’s homes lately. They just pull up the recipe they’re cooking and set it in the kitchen like it were a cookbook. Cookbooks are still among the books I cannot depart from, but I’m wondering if acutal hardbound cookbooks are on their way out…
https://www.etsy.com/listing/176446662/hand-built-white-slab-vase?
I’m trying to get my own etsy site up and running..check it out! 🙂
Thank you so much for the giveaway!
I love granola and nuts! Yum!!!
Thanks again,
Lots of love! <3
niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3 thanks u guys so much
I am a CookSmarts person, too, and I would love that tablet so I don’t have to lug my laptop to the counter and so I don’t keep smudging up my phone!!
Long-time reader de-lurking to say “Me, please!” I’d love a tablet and this one looks great!
I would love to win! Would be perfect for the kitchen and making my life easier.
I love my nokia phone! It’s also a greasy mess when I cook, and the screen is tiny. Pick me! It would be used and loved. Thanks!
I just ordered my daughter a “two” shirt from Etsy!
Great giveaway, I bring my laptop into the kitchen with me when I cook because it is such a pain to look on my tiny phone (and not get it all dirty).
What a nice tablet! Thanks for doing the giveaway.
I am loving that stand and stylus! My 12 yr old daughter has a tablet and I’ve been hoping to get something similar for her desk area and that the stylus is completely washable is a big plus in my book, just in case I am using her tablet to make something fun in the kitchen and God forbid, get it dirty…lol…