My Review of Pacific Chromium 24" Girl's Bike

Originally submitted at CSN Stores (Clink Link for Picture)

Features:

• Chromium girl's bike
• Pacific collection
• Material: Steel, aluminum, rubber
• Steel suspension frame
• Suspension fork smoothes bumps
• Torque drive twist shifters to change gears
• 18 speeds with torque drive rear dera...

Pacific Chromium 24" Girl's Bike

Durable and Good Looking!

By Melo from PA on 11/14/2010

5out of 5

Pros: Great Value, Durable, Fun

Best Uses: Exercise, Family Time, Outdoor

Describe Yourself: Parent Of Two Or More Children, Working Parent

Was this a gift?: Yes

Very heavy duty bike that will be durable. Love the color. This will be a great bike that I'm sure will serve my daughter for many years.

(legalese)

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts Caramel Apples

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

Have you tried the new, Limited Edition Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts yet? If not you definitely need to do so....NOW! I have been a loyal fan of the Brown Sugar Pop Tarts for years, but the Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts are my new favorite. The pumpkin pie spice is not overpowering and it is just enough filling to make you feel like you are eating a thin slice of pumpkin pie. What a treat!

I decided that I would roll a caramel apple in the Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts crumbs to combine the the flavors of my two favorite pies. Apple and pumpkin. You can eat this right off the stick or cut the apple off the stick and cut into slices. I guess it's a more dignified way to eat this delicious treat. However you decide to eat this...I'm sure you will agree that it is the best of both pies!

Here is how you make it.

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts Caramel Apples

Things you need:

6-8 apples (any kind, but I used tart Granny Smith's)
wooden dowels or craft sticks for each apple
2 packages pre-wrapped caramels or caramel ingredients (see recipe below)
wax paper
cookie sheet
butter
12 Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts, coarsely chopped
fall ribbon to decorate apples

1. Place wax paper on cookie sheets. Next, butter the waxed paper to make sure that the caramel apple won't stick.

2. Make some caramel or you can use the pre-wrapped found in the candy section of your grocery store. Here is my caramel recipe:

1c. Karo syrup
1c. Brown sugar
1c. White sugar
1 stick of butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Put first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Bring to a boil and stir for five minutes. Be careful to keep stirring so that it doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pan. Take caramel off the burner after 5 minutes.

3. After you have made your caramel or melted your unwrapped caramels according to package directions, put wooden craft sticks or dowels into your apples.

4. Dip apples in caramel one at a time. Cover the whole apple letting the excess caramel drip back into the pan.

5. Place caramel covered apples on buttered wax paper on cookie sheet and place in refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to cool.

6. Take apples out of refrigerator and roll in chopped Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts. Press crumbs into caramel and replace on new piece of wax paper.

7. Replace in refrigerator to set up.

8. When ready to serve, decorate with fall ribbon around the stick. Enjoy!

What is your favorite flavor of Pop-Tarts? Answer this question and you will be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer!

For extra entries, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

Go to the BlogHer.com round-up page for more recipes and 9 more chances to win.

For official rules, please click here.

CSN Stores Review Coming Up

If you are a reader of blogs, I'm sure you have heard of CSN Stores. There are reviews and giveaways for CSN all over the internet! If you haven't yet, you've got to visit their website. They have over 200 stores that you can browse if you're in the market for a new dining room table, cookware, luggage, shoes or just about anything you might need!

I'm excited to be able to review my experience with CSN stores in the near future. I've spent more hours than I care to admit, trying to find exactly what I want to review. So many great possibilities!

I hope you will stay tuned, to see what I picked! Until then, go to CSN stores and see all that they have to offer!

I Might as Well Exercise.....

This Contest Is Closed

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

Ahhhhh....exercise!

I have a love/hate relationship with it. What about you? I always feel great when I'm done, but I DREAD getting started.

When I was a teenager I had a Garfield poster that read:

"I might as well exercise, I'm in a bad mood anyway."

That pretty much sums up my attitude about exercise.

To get myself motivated to exercise I have tried several techniques:

1. I keep an exercise calendar and put a sticker or "gold star" every day that I get my workout. I start to see that I am on all roll and I don't want to break the chain. I plan my workout on the calendar for the week so that I don't have any excuse not to get it done.

2. I set my DVR to record my favorite shows and I tell myself that I am not allowed to watch my shows unless I am on my recumbent bike or treadmill. This has been very effective in getting me out of bed!

3. I used to work just a couple miles away from my home. I would leave about 30 minutes before I was expected at work and walk there. It was a really nice walk. I had to go to work, so I thought that I might as well walk there and get my exercise done as well.

4. I've always required great tunes while I exercise. As I have "matured" I have really enjoyed books on tape and podcasts that can be downloaded to my ipod. They keep my mind interested and I get so caught up in the story or the discussion that time flies!

5. And then there is always this way of thinking that gets me to exercise: "If I exercise this morning....I'll be able to eat something yummy tonight when I go out!"

The secret is: Whatever gets you to exercise...DO IT! Make it fun. Give yourself goals and incentives. Remember how good a morning workout makes you feel when you can't drag yourself out of bed at 5 am!

Do you have a funny story? Tell me about it to be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card from Laughing Cow. Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

You should also visit The Daily Laugh Hub to read funny content each day. There you will also find 11 other chances to win $150 each month and weekly chances to win $100 at the "Play for Laughs" game. If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

For official rules click here.

My review at CSN Stores

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Available in Red
• Constructed of supreme Protecflon polyester with 1200 D. Poly
• 8 convenient pockets for maximum packing versatility
• U-shape top opening system for easy access to spacious main compartment

Self repairing

22" 8 Pocket Rolling Duffel

Great quality and pockets galore!

By Melody from PA on 10/10/2010

5out of 5

Pros: Durable, Easy to Transport, Good Zippers, Lightweight, Large Capacity

Best Uses: Weekend Trips, Short Travel, Airline Travel

Describe Yourself: Getting Started

What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist

Was this a gift?: Yes

I bought these bags for my kids for weekend trips to Grandma's house and short road trips. They are just the right size and they are such good quality. It really looks like my kids will get years of good use out of these. I love that the kids can be responsible for their own bags and transport them easily with the wheels.

(legalese)

CSN Stores Review

If you are a reader of blogs, I'm sure you have heard of CSN Stores. There are reviews and giveaways for CSN all over the internet! If you haven't yet, you've got to visit their website. They have over 200 stores that you can browse if you're in the market for a new coffee table, cookware, luggage, shoes or just about anything you might need!

I'm excited to be able to review my experience with CSN stores in the near future. I've spent more hours than I care to admit, trying to find exactly what I want to review. So many great possibilities!

I hope you will stay tuned, to see what I picked! Until then, go to CSN stores and see all that they have to offer!

Chocoholic and $150 Visa Gift Card Giveaway! Ends 10/10/10

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

Hello. My name is Melody....and I'm a chocoholic.

I love it! I must have it! I think I married my husband because he told me he was from Hershey, PA! (And yes, you can smell the chocolate when driving through the town).

Just like any other addict, sometimes I make a mighty effort to get off the stuff.

One particular time I was actually effective. I was trying to help my friend quit smoking. I told her that I had never been addicted to alcohol or tobacco, but that I was most definitely addicted to chocolate. I told her that while she was staying away from cigarettes, I would cut the chocolate out as well. We could help each other.

I remember very well the first few days without chocolate. I was, in a word, irritated, but then I calmed down and accepted my new sense of control. When I was offered chocolate ice cream, candies or desserts, I explained my pact and no one was offended.

The best thing was that I didn't swear off all sweets, just chocolate and I still ended up slowly and painlessly losing weight. I didn't have a scale, but I could just tell by the way my clothes fit. I lived in Malta at that time and walked everywhere, so that helped too.

In short, it was a good experience but if you have seen my main blog, Cheat Day Cafe, you will see that I am back on chocolate as one of my main food groups. What can I say...I'm weak AND I live in the most famous chocolate town in America! A woman can handle only so much!

Do you have a funny story? Tell me about it to be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card from Laughing Cow. Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

You should also visit The Daily Laugh Hub to read funny content each day. There you will also find 11 other chances to win $150 each month and weekly chances to win $100 at the "Play for Laughs" game. If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

For official rules click here.