Baby Brezza Review

The Baby Brezza is a one step baby food maker that every mom should have on hand. I was so thrilled when asked to review the Baby Brezza.  I have always made my own baby food in the past. I had a small baby food grinder when my children were babies that I used to make baby food from the foods I had prepared for the family. When my grandchildren came along I did the same for them. I would boil or steam some vegetables and puree with my blender. I believe baby food should be fresh and as unprocessed as possible. The only way to be sure of feeding your baby the best is to make your own baby food. Busy mothers might feel they do not have the time to make their own baby food. Baby Brezza is the perfect answer to the problem of not having the time to give your baby homemade food.

Baby Brezza is a steamer and blender all in one. The simple control panel is easy to understand and use. Making baby food is as simple as cleaning your fruits and/or vegetables, dicing adding to the bowl and press a button. You have a few options with the Baby Brezza. Steam and puree, steam only, or puree only.

The first puree I made with the Baby Brezza was butternut squash and blueberries. My lovely granddaughters were right there to help with the process. They also were my taste testers. In the end we used the puree in some breakfast muffins. The baby brezza can also make smoothies and dips.

What I like most about the Baby Brezza is its BPA free, comes with baby food recipes and a feeding guide. The guide has a quick reference chart for the recommended ages to start feeding each food type. You will also find a chart with steam time for each vegetable and fruit.

Over all I found this product to be easy and fun to use. Stop by Baby Brezza to learn more about this amazing product.

Disclosure:
I received the above mentioned product to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

Mail Order Ducklings

I have raised day old chicks in the past. I ordered my chicks from a mail order hatchery many years ago. Since then we incubate and hatch all of our chicks. I have been seriously thinking about raising ducklings. I have been looking to find ducks for sale in our area and have not had much luck. While doing a little research online I thought about looking at the same place I found my chickens for sale. They actually had a big variety of ducks. While I do a little research about raising ducks I will be in touch with California Hatchery to discuss with an expert on what type of ducklings would fit our needs. With fall fast approaching I intend to gain as much knowledge about raising ducklings and be read for our order. It is important to be ready in time for spring as that is the best time for hatching and raising ducklings. They will have plenty of time to grow strong before next years winter.  My plan to buy ducks will be one of the more interesting events around here come spring. I will keep you updated as we get our first ducklings.
I think mail ordering chicks and ducklings is such a fantastic way to start a great hobby. The shipping is fast and does not harm the animals. I have never had a problem with any of my mail order chicks. So if you have ever been interested in trying to raise any of these adorable animals this is the way to go. 

Koi Fry and Frogs

We have been real busy this week with tons of yard work that has been put off until now. While skimming lawn clipping off my koi pond I was amazed to see so many baby(fry) koi. We have had our koi produce before but we only had a few hatch and survive over the years. Well, this year we have at least one hundred or possibly more. I had no idea the pond conditions must have been perfect as it takes a lot of work to get koi to spawn and eggs to hatch. I wonder if it was our busy schedule that made us leave the pond take care of itself.
I am sharing a few pictures I was able to catch today. I had a hard time capturing a close up of the fish. They can see me approaching and do not want to get their picture taken. I guess they could be camera shy. I was able to get some great closeups of one of our pond frogs.

We are now going to be busy extending and deepening our second pond to accommodate our new pets. I will have to keep you updated if I do not get too busy.

A Little Help Please. We Need A Nick Name!

By now you all have met my newest grandson. I am proud to show him off again for anyone who missed the first pictures.

So here is the big request! I need some help with his nickname for Grandma Bonnie's Closet. Here is some information to help your thought process. Born July 14th on his calculated due date. He has a little more hair than his brother Pooh Bear did at birth. He weighed 6lbs 1oz. 19.5 inches long. He sleeps well and eats good. If you have a suggested nickname leave it in a comment. Thanks a million. I will leave you with a side view. Ha ha.

Wordless Wednesday

You had to know these were coming! Happy Wednesday!!! 

Pooh Bear and New brother.

To quote Pooh Bear "This is my baby"

Little Bug! Driveway stone is much better to dig than the sand! 

Pumpkin and Sweet Pea showing off a birthday gift. 

Our New Blessing

We have a new grand baby! My readers, I have been missing for a few days. Well, some of you may have suspected our new grandchild has arrived. We have been so busy with our new blessing and no time for my blogging work. I must also confess I had no internet connection at the hospital. Well lets just say I am not technical savvy enough to figure how to get my smart phone hooked to their internet server. I guess smart phones are not so smart. I will stop rambling on and get to the good news.
We have a healthy grandson! Born on Saturday the 14th of July. I will leave you with some pictures. I hope you all have a great week. I will be back soon and stop over to visit each of you.

 Pooh Bear is just loving his new baby brother.

Diamond Candle & Mystery Box Giveaway

SO SORRY KITTEN NOT INCLUDED! But she has made sure she knows what's in the mystery box, so maybe you can bribe her ;)  

Kimberly’s Thoughts & bayUnity Are so excited to bring you this amazing giveaway, to show you how much your support means to us. Both of us reaching so many fans on Facebook, in such a short period of time, it's like Christmas morning and we're kids again. Here is a little about bayUnity for those who have never heard of it. They support eco-friendly, natural, and organic products. bayUnity try's to simplify your life while helping you discover the best products for you and your family. It's FREE for both the consumers & the companies who sell eco-friendly, natural, and organic products. They help put us all in one place, so when you look for a product on bayUnity you can read what others say about the product, before you buy it. Have a favorite company you don't see listed on bayUnity? Please feel free to share this information and the website with them. FREE advertisement is the best, when I hear free I'm always ready to sign up. bayUnity.com is a place where consumers can trust companies, and vice versa. Being the Organic lover that I am it should come as no surprise why I love this website. There will be 2 winners, one for a Diamond Candle and one for the mystery box. 

 

 Diamond Candles are amazing, there is a ring in every candle! If you're the really lucky person, you could find one worth $5000.00!!!!!! Now how is that for a little luck? These are the rings I got out of mine.

  

We have teamed up with some AMAZING bloggers to help us promote this giveaway. Thanks so much to each and every one of you for your help, we're very grateful! Please be sure you you tell everybody about this awesome giveaway. Well are you excited to get started? Then lets do it! Enter the easy Rafflecopter form below. If you have any problems please let me know.

GOOD LUCK

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Disclosure: Grandma Bonnie's Closet Is not responsible for mailing out the winners prizes, Kimberly’s Thoughts will be mailing out the prizes. I received nothing for this giveaway. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Royce Leather & Shoplet.com

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home from my latest trip and found an unexpected package on my doorstep. I love surprise packages. When ever I get office supplies to review I get very excited. I enjoy seeing all the great new products available at Shoplet.com. Today I am reviewing two great Royce Leather products.

These two products come in gift worthy packaging.

First is the Royce Leather iPhone Sleeve. If you have an iPhone or similar slim phone this is the perfect leather cover for you. Simple elegant protection for your iPhone. I often keep my phone in my pocket. It is very handy to keep a phone in your pocket but not very safe. I had a screen crack while I doing some yard work once. With my new cover I will not have to worry about my screen getting scratched or cracked.

The case is beautifully stitched. The sleek design makes it easy to remove your phone from the case.

The case is made of genuine leather with measurements of 4 3/4" x 2 1/2" x 1/2" and weighs 3oz.
I am very happy with my new phone case.

Second is the Royce Leather The Big Tag.  As a seasoned traveler I know how important it is to tag all my luggage. With the The Big Tag I am not only able to tag my luggage I am going to be able to see my luggage on the airport conveyor belt from a good distance.

The Big Tag is made of Top Grain Nappa Cowhide. The feature I really like is the privacy flap that keeps my information from prying eyes.

Made with a strong lobster claw rotating claps that hooks securely to my bag. Measuring 6" x 4" x 1/4" and weighing 3oz. makeing the Big Tag easy to see and find my bag. The wild berry color will defiantly stand out in a crowd.

Disclosure:
I received the above mentioned products to review from Shoplet.com in exchange for an honest opinion.

Summer Vegetable Banana Muffins

Are you looking for a great way to a great way to use your garden vegetables? These vegetable muffins make it easy to get vegetables in your child's diet.  

Zucchini/Banana Veggie Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste

2 large bananas, mashed

5 ounces squash cooked

2 zucchini grated

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour a little more or less

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the mashed bananas, squash, zucchini, and eggs. Stir in the flour amount depends upon how wet your ingredients are. Add oatmeal, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined. Spoon the batter equally into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

I hope you enjoy.

Save On College Expenses With CampusBookRentals

I have in the past mentioned that my youngest son will be in his final year of college this fall. For this I am very thankful. It has been a long journey waiting for my last child to finish his education. As anyone should know the cost of a college education is expensive. Even with scholarships the cost can be hard on any family budget. Last semester was the first time we rented text books for my son. I was amazed at the cost difference. Text books are very expensive and after class is over many of the books purchased are never needed again by the student. The first few semesters my son would sell his books back to the campus book store. This would have been great if they would buy the books back for at least a third of the new cost. But many times his books were bought back for a few dollars. It felt like we were being cheated. When the book store bought the books back they would sell them for used at a very high price.
Renting college text books is one of the best options available to saving on expenses. Renting text books from CampusBookRentals can save you from 40 to 90% off regular book store prices. There are many more perks when renting from CampusBooksRentals.com.

Some perks are:

-free shipping both ways
-can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods
-They will donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

You may have heard of Operation Smile. Operation Smile is an awesome organization that performs  cleft lip surgeries on children whose families could not otherwise afford it. The improvement in quality of life for the children that receive these surgeries is almost incomprehensible.

Check out the price difference for your self. This text book New Perspectives on HTML and XHTML sells for $110 New on Amazon. you can rent it under $25 for an entire semester. I like that savings.

For more information check out the video clip.

I totally recommend renting college texts books as a way to save money while getting your education.

Climbing Spinach Plant

A few days a go I posted a photo of the spinach plants on my deck. These are climbing spinach plants. I did a growth time line to show its growth progress. This is an amazing plant.

June 16th 

June 18th 

June 22nd 

June 26th 

June 27th

July 2nd 

July 4th

Purify Your Air

Everyone I know wants to breathe clean air. It's important for us to keep the air in our homes not only smelling clean but free from airborne particulates and pollutants. I have mentioned many times that I am asthmatic. I use steroids to keep my asthma under control. For the most part my asthma is usually under control. I do have a sensitivity to dust, mold, heavy scented perfumes and cigarette smoke. Any time I am exposed to any one of the above I will have problem breathing. We have been using an ionizing air purifier in our home for a few years now. This has proven to help keep the dust to a very minimum. This in turn helps keep my asthma under control.


When I heard that I was going to be reviewing a Fellowes Air Purifier Pooh Bear and I sat at the curb waiting for the UPS to deliver our package. I will have to save that story for another time. I know you are thinking I already had a purifier, why would I be that excited to try another one? I have learned that not all purification systems are the same. Most clean small particulates, and dust from the air, while a few air cleaners do much more.  

Let me tell you a little about my old purifier. This purifier has a reusable filter. I like that it does not cost to replace the filter. I just sweep the dust away and rinse with water. Replacing the filter is simple to do. The fan has three speeds and the ionizer can be turned on or off with the touch of a button.  What I do not like is the purifier does not remove cigarette smoke smells from the air. It does not have a charcoal filter so it is limited to removing particulates from the air.

Now, let us compair the new purifier.

The purifier has a four stage purification system. It uses a true HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of particles and impurities as small as 0.3 microns.

It also has a carbon filter that removes odors and captures large airborne particulates. The carbon filter is sanitized which reduces the development of bacteria, fungi and dust mites.

Finally with PlasmaTrue technology the final stage removes airborne pollutants at the molecular level, neutralizing viruses and bacteria in the air.  What I found most fascinating that it has an air purity sensor that monitors and adjusts speeds according to particles and pollutants in the air. How cool is that?

I started running the machine right out of the box. I was amazed how quiet it runs. When I turned the power button on I saw the lights blinking and did not hear it running. I had to wave my hand over the air outlet to confirm that it was running. My old machine actually can be heard from across the entire house. The filters are easy to maintain. There are separate replace filter indicator lights for the HEPA filter and the charcoal filter. The settings allow four speeds, low, medium, high and turbo. The light on the left indicates air quality.

Red indicates a high level of pollutants in the air. Yellow indicates the air quality is poor. Finally green indicates the air is clean. If the setting is on auto the speed will change per the air quality needs. I checked  the lights many times the first few hours it ran and I generally saw the air quality light green. There was one time I saw the light change to yellow and then red.

I was certain I knew the reason. I had placed the machine beside the back patio door. The air drifting in from the patio door is usually  fresh but when a neighbor lights up a cigarette the smoke drifts over and can be smelled faintly near the patio door.  When the light turned red I check out side just to be certain of my theory. I was correct my daughter’s neighbor was sitting outside smoking. I am so excited to see that this product actually works as it claims.  
I have been running the air purifier non-stop since it came in mail and I am satisfied with it. I plan to take this purifier with me when I travel to visit my grandchildren. I guess you can say I won't leave home with out it.
You can find this awesome product at my favorite office supply store.  


Disclosure:
I received the above mentioned products to review from Shoplet.com in exchange for an honest opinion

Independence Day

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

To read and lean more visit here.

Happy Independence Day!

My Coke Rewards Points Giveaway!!

Life with Tootsabella and the Rose is celebrating their success in stopping the habit of drinking soda! I want to congratulate their family at being strong and kicking the habit. To celebrate she is sharing her giveaway with my readers. Please stop by and congratulate her.

 

 

It has been one month since I have stopped drinking my favorite pop, Coca Cola. Actually my husband and I both had our last glass on our daughter Rose's second birthday on June 2nd. I am celebrating by giving away my Coke reward points I was saving. I have 200 points saved since the last time I cashed them in. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter. They are really easy entries!! Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2&3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup soft butter (2sticks)

1&1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven 375. Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl add egg and vanilla. Mix well. In large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add creamed mixture to flour mixture. Mill well. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 min.

Enjoy!