Ice Sphere

So I have a new obsession in my life.  Ice Balls!!!

What are these wonderful things you ask? They are just as they say they're a ball of ice.  

How did I find these wonderful little spheres?  Well I was asked to try them and then review them from Amazon.  So far I have received 2 different kinds of ice ball makers.  I'm going to break them down and compare them for you here.

Premium Six Ice Ball Maker Mold By the Bartenders Secret - Make Six (6) Ice Balls At Once

Pros:

    1. You can make 6 balls at once. 

    2. They freeze quickly.

    3. Made of silicone so that you can maneuver the mold in ways to help break up the ice.

    4. They last longer in drinks so that you don't get that watered down pop as fast as with the cubes.

    5. They fit into my water bottle.

Cons:

    1. They are a little hard to fill up until you get the hang of it.

    2. The balls aren't perfectly round.  They have an edge on them from the mold.  

  I don't really care that the edge is there it still keeps my drink cold either way. 

Filling up the tray:

1. Fill the bottom tray about half-way up the sides.  This will ensure that each ball is full.

2. Place the lid on the mold.

 3.  Snap the lid on to each ball.  I start on the outside and work my way in.  This helps move the water into the molds.  You can actually feel the mold pop together.  Remember that water expands when it freezes so you don't need to have them filled all the way up.  As the water expands it fills the orbs.  That's what the holes are for on the mold, to let the water escape.

4. Put them in the freezer and let them freeze.

5. After they're frozen pull them out and twist. As you can see from the pictures below the water came out of the holes and into the top of the mold.  That's fine it's easy to get rid of.  I just dump it in my ice bucket to use.  Being silicone the mold is flexible and easy to pop the balls out of.  If they stick just push from the top and turn the mold inside out.

6. Enjoy!  

The second one I received is this one:

iPerfect Kitchen Sphere Ice Mold - Premium Silicone Ice Ball Maker - Set of 2 X 2.5" Molds

Pros:
    1. The balls are bigger and can be used for more things.  One idea I had was to put little toys in them to freeze for a sensory toy.  I found this idea the other day on Pinterest to make frozen water beads in balloons.  But these molds would be great for that. 
    2. They were easy to fill up and freeze.
    3. They are stack-able. 
    4. They are perfectly round.

Cons:
    1. You can only make 1 ball at a time.
    2. They don't fit into my water bottle but they do in my cup.

Filling up the mold:
1. Fill the water to the line that is on the base of the mold.

2. Place the lid on the mold.

3. Place them in the freezer.

4. To release the ball from the mold you are going to have to run water over the base of the mold and sometimes the top.  Usually I just have to do the bottom.

5. Pop your ball out of the base.

Since these balls are bigger the the others it only takes 2 to fill us a glass.  

Here you a picture comparing the 2 sizes. 

 Both of these molds have their pros and cons but I still really like them both.  There also fun for the kids to make!





* I do need to report that I did pay a discounted amount or got this item free in return for my honest opinion.  This review is strictly my own and not influenced in any way.
 

Flexible Cutting Mat

I really like these cutting mats!  They are light weight and durable.  My favorite part is the cute little pictures that help identify which ones you should use for what.  Granted you can use any of them for anything but if you use them as they suggest you run less of a risk of cross contamination if you're cutting more then 1 thing at once.

The colors are bright and also help you distinguish between the cutting mats.  Here are a few stats on the mats...

• This set is convenient and portable for easy clean up. 12 x 8 x 5/32 inches, store in a drawer, GREAT for the camper.
• MADE WITH ECO FRIENDLY material and anti-slide properties with a beautiful look.Easy Clean up.
• FOOD ICONS AND MEASURING SCALE It's non-toxic and safe with BACTEKILLER protection
• BENDABLE FOR EASY transfer of food. Environmentally friendly, made of TPE & PP.
• COMPLIMENTS LARGE cutting board for efficient and food separation by category.

They have a cut out so that you can hold them or hang them up to make them easily accessible.  

Recently I just started sewing and these would make good quick cutting mats to use on the go for that as well.  

Overall I'm excited to get these mats and to start using them.  If you'd like your own they can be found here.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for review from Giveaway Service website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Reference ID: pm5f75d40f9fe2fba50285983dfddfe82b

Free and Discounted Things!

Who doesn't like free stuff? Right?
I've been a BzzAgent since 2007!  I can't believe it's been that long.  Over the years I've gotten some cool stuff from them, all of it for free, just have to review and share those reviews.  My latest review is found here.

I just recently started with Smiley360 and I've already gotten 2 missions.  Today I got my first box from Smiley360, it's Arm & Hammer and there are some pretty awesome things you can do with baking soda that I didn't know about...but that's a whole other post for another day.

PinchMe is another one I recently joined.  I'm still waiting to get my first box from them full of freebies. It should be here any day now.  

All these sites ask for your honest reviews of the products they send. There are very few I don't like. But I'm still honest on those.

But my new recent obsession is Amazon product reviews!  I LOVE Amazon anyway and getting products for free or at a deep discount is AWESOME!

Here are just 3 things I got tonight.  I leave reviews of the products and get the cool stuff.  Oh and because I have Amazon Prime for most items I can select the FREE No-Rush Shipping and we’ll automatically apply a $2 digital credit (applicable to eBooks, digital music and videos) to your account once your order ships. This makes the savings twice as sweet!  

If you have Amazon Prime and like leaving reviews let me know and I'll send you the list of different sites to get things.  I do have to warn you it becomes addictive though!

Mom's Birthday

Yesterday was mom's 71st birthday.  I was lucky to get to spend most of the day with her.  We went and got our hair done.  

Then we went to eat lunch at Arby's.  Nothing fancy but that's what she wanted. 

After that we went shopping.  I still hadn't gotten a shirt for family pictures that we're taking today. We all have to match you know!  We finally went with just a plain shirt.  We were both getting tired from shopping.  

We then went and had our nails and toes done.  What a relaxing end to a fun day.  I was so thankful I got to spend the day with her.  

I've posted this on Instagram but this is her quilt I made for her.  I should have made it bigger, but I'm proud of the way it turned out.

Happy Birthday MOM!

  

Müller® Dessert Inspired Yogurt

What can I say about these delicious yogurts?  YUM!!!

I got 2 of these free from BzzAgent and got the other 2 with coupons that were sent in the BzzKit.  They had another flavor at Kroger but I opted not to try it yet.  I know I at least like these two flavors in other things.

The first one I tried was the Strawberry Cheesecake.  This flavor of yogurt I like to get in another brand so I knew I would like this one.  I was surprised when the taste is more true then the other brand of yogurt.  I love how they have a separate compartment for the toppings.  This helps the toppings stay crunchy.  There is a fold in the container that I suggest you fold over before you open it to make it easier to fold over into the yogurt.  I made the mistake of not doing this for the first one I opened.  

One thing I don't like doing is sharing with the kids...I want the yummy's to myself to try, but since I got 2 of both flavors I shared.  Caiden was really appreciative.  He tried the Peach Cobbler first.  He really liked it!  You can see by his picture that after you stir up the toppings there are enough that you get some in every bite.

Yesterday when David went to Kroger I made him get me some more of these tasty little desserts!  I think I'm going to have to replace my old yogurt for these...then keep the kids out of them!

* I did get these free to try from BzzAgent if you're not one already and you like getting free stuff to try I suggest you sign up. :)

Goldfish Grahams

I sing the song every time I eat Goldfish no matter what kind they are.  Sing with me now...

♫♫♫ I love the fishes ♫♫ 'cause they're so delicious! ♫♫

These Goldfish Grahams are no different.  I got a free sample to try from Crowdtap.  

They sent me the Cinnamon and the Honey to try.  I love the Cinnamon fishes!  The Honey ones are good as well but I just like the Cinnamon ones better for some reason.
But I have always preferred cinnamon over honey for anything.

Here's a few stats on the fish:
8g Whole Grain per serving
140 Calories
1a Sat Fat
140mg Soduim
7g Sugars

There are no artificial preservatives, no artificial flavors and are baked with real honey and cinnamon.  

I somewhat feel bad because I didn't want to share my little fish with the kids, but alas I did.  They loved them too.  Now instead of regular graham crackers I'm going to buy the Goldfish Grahams!


*As stated earlier I did get these free to review.  My opinion is my own and was not paid for in any way.   

Family Tree

I've been waiting to post this until I felt like the tree was finished.  A couple of years ago I had imagined what I wanted on my living room wall and I finally got it!  My brother painted my living room for me the first time he lived with us and did a great job at it.  I had been looking for a tree to put up after he finished it but the only one I could find was around $90 - $150 and I was ready to pay that much.  The other day however I was searching on Amazon and ran across a great value. You had to be careful who you ordered from because some of the trees were much smaller.  But they were only $8!!!  I got 2 of them because I wanted a "fuller" tree.  Then I felt like I had an empty spot that was low enough I didn't want to put pictures so I got a boy and a girl on a swing for like $.10 + shipping.  Oh and then got the picture frames from Wal-Mart for $2.98 for a pack of 2.  I love how it turned out!

The top 2 pictures don't have the boy and girl...the rest of the pictures were taken today with the extra leaves and the boy and girl swinging.  

Now most of the pictures are of Nathan and Taylor because I haven't printed off any others but hopefully that will change.  I have a few more frames and of course want to put more pictures up but it'll get there.

Here you can actually see how tall the tree is.  I did take part of the trunk of the extra tree and cut it to add to this trunk and it worked out great.