Lenox has just come out with a brand new casual dinnerware collection.  Lenox Bloom is just hitting stores. 
 
Lenox Bloom is available in three neutral colors – Oyster, Sand, and Slate.  The neutral, solid colors bring out the blossoms that define the floral pattern.  The tone-on-tone floral graphic highlights the Bloom collection accent plate and mug.
Lenox’s Bloom is made of stone and it is dishwasher and microwave safe.  This allows you to have a beautiful, simplistic look every day that’s easy to clean.  The Bloom pattern is also sleek and elegant enough to use for a dinner party.
The Bloom dinnerware is …read more

About seven years ago, I bought my first Rada knife. I’d seen them before and heard good things about them and someone was selling them as part of a fundraiser. I bought the tomato pairing knife and have been hooked since then. These knives are inexpensive, long lasting, and provide such a smooth cut. 

My husband and I enjoyed our first knife so much that we found it was always dirty.  Last year, I found someone else that was doing a Rada fundraiser.  We ordered another knife, the knife sharpener, cutting board, and chopper. 
My husband frequently sharpens our Rada knives.  I have never found …read more

Nestle Toll House is voluntarily recalling over 40 of its refrigerated cookie dough products. According to the press release:
Nestlé is taking this action out of an abundance of caution after being notified that the Food and Drug Administration, together with the Centers for Disease Control, are conducting an investigation into reported E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that may be related to consumption of raw cookie dough.

You can read the entire Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough Press Release as well as the entire list of recalled products.  Consumers can return the recalled products to their local grocer for a full refund.  Nestle invites …read more

My husband was really wanting a new blender to make smoothies and milkshakes.  We had priced some blenders, processors, and machines and I had decided I was not paying $299 for a machine.  We decided to give the Hamilton Beach Wave Station Express Dispensing Blender a try and have not been disappointed.

Here’s a few things we like about this blender:

The price – under $20!
chops the ice and leaves no chunks
liquid dispenser
does not leak
easy cleaning – pieces come apart

The one thing I don’t care for is that the height of the dispenser.  I would like to put taller glasses up under …read more

If I’m going to have carrot cake then I want the real deal.  The problem is, it’s a bit time consuming and expensive to make.  You have to stand there and grate all those carrots and such.  It’s worth the effort for a special treat, but sometimes you just wish there was shortcut. 

While I was visiting my parents this week, I saw that my mom had one of the Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake mixes in the pantry and I decided to give it a shot.  There are actual raisins and shredded carrots in the package.  You simply soak them in water …read more

If you’re like me, you don’t want to spend a fortune buying new living room furniture or having your old stuff recovered.  Thankfully, there is a company that offers an affordable way to help with that problem.  I’m sure you all have heard of Sure Fit slipcovers.  Sure Fit makes it easy and inexpensive to freshen up old, worn furniture.   I just received the new catalog and am amazed with all the different products they have available now.
Sure Fit has something to fit anyone’s needs.  Whether you have a loose back cushion couch, a t-cushion couch, a recliner, futon, or …read more

DaySpring is partnering with Compassion International to offer Colors of Compassion cards.  You can help make a difference in the lives of children in need around the world by purchasing these cards.  DaySpring will donate 6% of net wholesale sales of every “Colors of Compassion” card directly to Compassion International to help provide immunizations and other urgent medical care for children in need. 
When you purchase greeting cards, please consider purchasing the Colors of Compassion cards.  It’s a small way to help a child in need.

A new book by Eduardo Xol, one of the designers on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, will be out next week. Ahead of the release, I received a copy of Extreme Entertaining Made Simple to look over and review for Keeping the Castle.
In Extreme Entertaining Made Simple, Eduardo shares his philosophy of using the five senses to create and celebrate a memorable occasion. The taste, sound, feel, smell and look of an event are given equal attention according to its chosen theme. A sixth sense, intuition, is also given its due in the book.
The parties in our large extended …read more

When Sakura sent me a box of their supplies to review, I didn’t realize at once just how much fun I would have trying them out. I own countless pens for  scrapbooking, including some of the original Sakura gel pens. Little did I know that the Glaze and Souffle pens are in a league of their own.
While they work well on paper, it is on non-porous surfaces that Glaze and Souffle really shine. Once dry, they leave a 3-dimensional effect behind. The Glaze effect is glossy and transparent, while Souffle is opaque and puffy. They can both be used to …read more

Duck Tape is sponsoring a contest for the best Halloween costume made using, what else, duct tape!
Dress yourself with Duck Tape and you just might win $500 and a year’s supply of duct tape in the “Stick or Treat Halloween Costume Contest”™. The Duck brand is available in 20 colors, so if you can imagine it, you can probably make it!
The contest is open until October 10, 2008. You can find the rules and everything you need to know at www.stickortreat.com.