She Scribes

By now you should know that I am madly, head-over-heels, truly in love with my Keurig. It’s by far my most favorite appliance in our home. I cannot go a day without using it.

Most people associate Keurig and K-cup portion packs with coffee. Some might even think about tea. But did you know that you can make MORE then coffee and tea with a Keriug? How about rich, dark chocolate hot cocoa? Or sweet Chai Latte? Mmm!

There are many brands that offer K-cup portion packs for the Keurig. I have reviewed several of them over the past year. I’d now like to tell you about Cafe Escapes.

Cafe Escapes offers Keurig users something different than coffee and tea. They offer rich indulgences like Cafe’ Mocha (a combination of cocoa and coffee), Milk Hot Chocolate, Dark Hot Chocolate and Chai Latte.

I have had the Cafe Escapes Milk Hot Cocoa before. In fact I’ve been purchasing it for the past couple of years from a local store. I didn’t know that Cafe Escapes offered Cafe Mocha, Chai Latte or even a Dark Hot Chocolate.

As a Keurig Brand Ambassador I received samples of all four varieties to try out and share with family and friends. I tend to share my K-Cup portion packs with others. This time I might just keep them all to myself. LOL!

I have already been using the Milk Hot Chocolate for some time now. It’s perfect for me. Not too sweet. It’s just right. Sometimes hot cocoa mixes tend to be too sweet for my personal preference. I have found that the Milk Hot Chocolate make a perfect cup for hot chocolate for me.

The first K-cup portion pack I tried was the Cafe’ Mocha. It’s a sweet combination of cocoa and coffee. To me it takes more like cocoa but with a bit of a kick to it. My husband had a cup. He doesn’t drink coffee. He liked the Cafe’ Mocha but did say that he noticed there was a little more to the taste then just regular cocoa. It wasn’t until after he started to drink it that I told him it was also made with coffee. He was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it too.

I like Chai Latte. I have ordered it when I’m out and about or out to dinner. The Cafe’ Escapes Chai Latte smells amazing! The aroma alone is enough to make you drool. I did find that this K-cup portion pack was too sweet for me. I have to remove some of the hot water with the Chai Latte mixed in and then add more hot water to water it down a bit so it’s not as sweet. I’m not suggesting that there is anything wrong with it. There is not. It’s just too sweet for my personal preference.

I was really excited to try the Dark Hot Chocolate. There is an obvious difference between the Milk and Dark Hot Chocolate varieties. The Dark Hot Chocolate is richer. I don’t know if it tastes like dark chocolate, but it’s much more “chocolatey” then the Milk Chocolate variety. Toss in some marshmallows and you have a delightful and super delicious treat.

All four of these wonderful and indulgent coffee house treats are specially blended to allow you indulge and enjoy more “me” moments. I agree with that because I have been enjoying some quiet time with a hot cup of one of the Cafe’ Escape varieties and a good book or magazine during the day when the kids are at school. Ahhh… perfect!

To learn more about Cafe’ Escapes please visit Cafe’ Escapes on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/CafeEscapes. If you “like” their Facebook page you will be entered into a “sweet” giveaway for a year’s worth of spa quality indulgence. Check it out!

You can also follow them on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/CafeEscapes). You can even follow the conversation using the hashtag #YourPerfectCup.

You can also check out Cafe’s Escapes and other K-cup portion pack varieties on the Green Mountain Coffee. I even have a special discount code. Upon check out use the code AM0016-3593 to save 15% off the entire store and free standard shipping (within the U.S. with no minimum order) at www.GreenMountainCoffee.com. This code is valid through February 29, 2012.

Keeping with the theme of indulgence I have a special giveaway from Birchbox. Birchbox is an innovative, new way to try beauty products before you buy them, Birchbox provides its subscribers with monthly deliveries of samples from well-known beauty brands. Each month subscribers will receive 4-5 hand-picked beauty samples form the best brands around – from the luxe lines you covet to the new and niche companies you’ve yet to discover.

But Birchbox is so much more than that!  

-   An online mini-mag filled with how-to videos, articles, and tips from the pros

-   An online Shop filled with the best skincare, haircare, makeup, and more – we’ve done the editing for you!

-   Birchbox Points, a super generous rewards program – so easy to earn, track, and redeem points

-   Great shipping offers on full-size orders, including free shipping on monthly product picks, and all orders $50+

One lucky reader will win a FREE 12-month subscription from Birchbox, compliments of Keurig/Green Mountain.

To enter please comment on something you love to indulge in?

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional. 

- Subscribe to She Scribes via RSS or E-mail. Both options are found on the right side bar.

- “Like” She Scribes on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/SheScribes.

- Follow She Scribes on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/She_Scribes and tweet about your favorite flavor from Cafe’ Escapes and/or this giveaway. Please include @She_Scribes in the tweet AND the hashtag #YourPerfectCup. This is limited to three tweets per day.

- Share this review and/or giveaway with others on Facebook, Digg, Technorati and so forth. Be sure to tell me what you did and please provide a name and/or URL so I can verify.

- Leave a thoughtful comment on a non-giveaway post on She Scribes and tell me which post you commented on. There is a limit of one comment per post, but you can comment on as many posts as you want for an unlimited extra entry option.

- Post about this review and/or giveaway on your site and please link back to this post. Please provide the URL.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on February 4, 2012 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply. Failure to do so will result in a new winner will be chosen in their place. A gift code will be sent via e-mail to the winner.

Other awesome giveaways can be found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I am a Keurig/Green Mountain brand ambassador and I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own. 

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The Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, February 5, 2012. Are you attending a Super Bowl party? Or are you hosting a Super Bowl party?

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party you’ll no doubt be looking for delicious foods and snacks to serve your guests. Thankfully Super Bowl parties don’t require a sit down meal. A few pizzas or a 3′ foot sub is good enough for most parties. However if you are looking to offer your guests a bit more, stop by Family Dollar where you’ll find plenty of Super Bowl party treats at budget friendly prices.

Did you know that Family Dollar has their own brand of food products? They are called Family Gourmet.

Family Gourmet products taste just like similar brand name products, except Family Gourmet products are much more budget friendly. Because they are a lot less expensive you can purchase a lot more for your Super Bowl party.

Family Dollar was kind enough to send me a few samples of their Family Gourmet brand products. I received the following items.

Sadly the Fudge Striped Shortbread cookies barely made it past two days. LOL! My kids (and my husband!) gobbled these up in no time.

My husband is VERY picky when it comes to certain items and brand names. He used to think that you had to buy the big brands to get quality items. I proved him otherwise. Thanks to me he’s more open to trying different brands. In most cases he has found that the products are similar in taste and quality. With that in mind it’s silly to spend more money on something just because of the brand name. Especially when it comes to something like food items which are not meant to be kept for a long time.

My husband loved the cookies so much he told me to pick some more up the next time I’m at Family Dollar.

I like the snack crackers. They go great with soup as well as with some peanut butter smeared on them.

I would never buy spray cheese for my family. There is just something “odd” about the idea of spraying cheese. Since I received one to try I let my kids enjoy it. I tried some too. We sprayed some on the snack crackers. It was good, and I have to admit I’d probably eat more of them if I wasn’t on a diet program at the moment. My kids had a blast with it. I had to take the cheese away from them or they would have used up the whole can in one shot.

The crackers tasted just like the big brand crackers. In fact we have those in the pantry. My kids can’t tell the difference.

The Family Gourmet salsa from Family Dollar was pretty good. I love salsa with scrambled eggs. The Family Gourmet salsa tasted good. It had a nice fresh taste to it too. I was pleasantly surprised.

Every Super Bowl party needs a big bowl of chips and salsa.

Popcorn is a great Super Bowl snack idea. I honestly keep forgetting that I can serve popcorn at parties. Most everyone likes popcorn. If you keep some popcorn seasonings on hand everyone can season the popcorn to suit their tastes. I have Buffalo, White Cheddar and Kettle Corn popcorn seasonings on hand.

Popcorn is also a great snack anytime. Once I topped off some tomato soup with some left over popcorn. It tasted really good.

I honestly wouldn’t think to serve Trail Mix at a Super Bowl party. It’s not a real “manly” sort of treat. However if you have guests coming to your party who are a bit more health conscious, I think serving a bowl of trail mix would be a nice surprise.

If you were to blindfold me and serve me Family Gourmet, from Family Dollar, foods along side their brand name versions, I couldn’t tell the difference. The products I tried all tasted like the big brands (with the exception of the Trail Mix – I wasn’t sure what big brand it was like). Even my very picky husband had to agree with me.

This year, when you are making up your menu for your Super Bowl party, be sure to stop by Family Dollar to stock up on plenty of treats and other goodies to serve to your party guests. Don’t forget to pick up beverages, plates, napkins and even football party decor at your local Family Dollar too.

To find a Family Dollar near you visit www.FamilyDollar.com. You can also follow Family Dollar on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FamilyDollar) and on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/FamilyDollar).

Kimberly

*I received free sample products in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

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Is anyone familiar with vision boards? Does anyone use vision boards to help them to achieve their goals and dreams? I’m seriously considering starting one.

If you are not familiar with a vision board, or have never even heard of the term before, let me explain it a bit.

A vision board is a board (poster board, cork board…) where you put images that “speak to you”. They can be images of things you want out of life (a dream vacation, a beautiful house, a fancy car) or they can be visions of things that inspire you (a colorful photograph, an image of a child). Some people have been known to create vision boards of images that they are not 100% sure why they are attracted to them but hold on to them to see if their purpose and meaning becomes clear to them one day. 

The purpose of a vision board is to keep your mind focused on the things you want to achieve in life, or to use it as your muse to inspire you to write, create artwork or for some other purpose. The vision board gives your “vision” clarity and helps to keep your attention on your intentions. If you look at it every day it helps you to keep your “eye on the prize”, so to speak. It can also be used as a force to help reinforce your daily affirmations. 

I have heard vision boards are also similar to The Secret, which all the range a few years ago. The vision board is a place for things in your life that are positive. As per The Secret when you think about positive things, positivity is attracted to you. It is suppose to help you achieve your goals and dreams.

I have an “online vision board”, so to speak. I bookmark on my computer things I really want in life. For example, one of my dreams is to own a house. I want a house with a yard where I can grow a garden and plant Lilacs. I would love for my children and our pets to have a place to run around and play. I have even gone so far as to look up appliances online, as well as furniture, for my dream house.

Making a vision board is really easy. You can make a simple one with some poster board. Or you can use a large cork board. I’m looking to get a corkboard just in case I want to add or remove pictures as I go along.

Once you have the board you are going to use the next step is to go through magazines and cut out images that stand out to you and that “speak” to you some how. Perhaps it’s a photo of a couple on a beach that represents a dream vacation for you and your significant other. Or maybe you’ll find a photo of a gorgeous dress you would love to wear, which will inspire you to lose weight or save money so you can have such a dress.

Don’t worry about putting the pictures on your board just yet. First just gather the pictures that interest you.

After you have finished collecting pictures your next step is to lay them all out on the table and pick out your most favorite photos. Once you have your favorites you’ll need to figure out how you want to arrange them on the board. Do you want to put them on the board with no specific “game plan” or do you want to specify the different corners to represent different things (one corner could be goals, another for dreams, and another for creative inspiration…). The board is YOURS so it has to make sense to you and only you. Don’t worry about what others think.

Once you have the pictures arranged you need to attach them to the board. You can use tacks (cork board) or glue. If you use glue use a glue stick or rubber cement. Regular glue might make the images get bumpy and they won’t look as nice.

After your board is complete you need to hang it some place where you can look at it each and every day. For me, I’m going to hang mine by my desk. Other people might want to hang it in the bedroom, in the bathroom, or any where else you think you will have the chance to look at it and focus on it every day.

Do you have a vision board? I would love to hear about it. If you have been inspired to make one for yourself, what kind of images do you think your board would have?

For the record, vision boards are great for kids too!

Kimberly

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