Views From the Ville

I received products in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and words are my own.

Growing up, one of the things I most looked forward to was watching Christmas classics on TV. The 30 minute shows like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer might not be considered technologically advanced these days, but they seemed perfect as a kid. They often aired just before Christmas – sometimes on Christmas Eve – so they also signified that the big day was just around the corner.

For some reason, it seems hard to catch the Christmas classics these days. I’m sure they air, but there isn’t the heavy advertising for them that there used to be. This means that even with a DVR we often miss them each season.

The Original Christmas Classics

The Original Christmas Classics on Blu-ray (and DVD)

I received a complimentary subscription to eMeals in order to try meal planning. All thoughts and words are my own.

There are days around here that if you ask “What would you like for dinner?” all you get in return is a lot of blank stares. Everyone looks at each other, and eventually someone will say, “I don’t care, what do you want?” which kicks off a chain reaction of “I don’t care, either. What do you want?”. It can be funny, except on days when you’re hungry and you really just want someone to tell you what to cook.

I’d try my best to do a little meal planning on Sundays. I would try and come up with a list of meals we hadn’t eaten recently and slot them throughout the week. If I had time, which wasn’t as often as I’d like, I’d even break out the local sales flyers to see what was on sale and make a couple of meal choices around that. Like the rest of you, though, meal planning isn’t my only weekly (or daily or hourly, for that matter) task and it didn’t always work out quite the way I hoped.

eMeals Weekly Meal Planning

Then I read a review of eMeals and thought, “Wow, that sounds like something I need.” Because eMeals does the meal planning for you. They even craft the meals around your local weekly sales to help save you money! Continue reading »

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All thoughts and words are my own.

For awhile now I’ve used a pedometer to track the steps I take during the day. It’s definitely a good way to encourage yourself to take the stairs when possible, or to circle the block a second time during your afternoon walk. They’re a little clunky, though, and depending on where you clip it, I had a tendency to knock it off when I’d walk.

When I saw the new Misfit Shine activity monitor, however, I knew I’d found better than the perfect replacement for my old-school pedometer. First of all, it’s incredibly sleek and stylish. It’s made of aircraft-grade aluminum and comes in grey, black, topaz, and champagne.

Misfit Shine Colors & Accessories

Thank you to Hamilton Beach for providing us with smoothie blenders to make our smoothie recipes. All words and opinions are my own.

Smoothies are something I’ve enjoyed for a long time, especially back when I lived in Florida. They’re tasty and refreshing, and can be quite healthy. When I was in college, we’d often stop for one on the way back from the beach.

It wasn’t until recently, though, that I started seeing a lot of homemade smoothie recipes. I was interested in giving them a try, but I lacked the proper equipment. We had a small blender, but it wasn’t really up to the challenge of crushing ice.

Hamilton Beach Smoothie Smart Blender for Perfect Smoothie Recipes

This Suave holiday scents is a sponsored post on behalf of Global Influence. All words and opinions are my own.

The holidays are all about scents. The pine scent of a freshly-cut wreath or Christmas tree, pumpkin pie cooling on the counter, even the smoky smell of a fire burning in the fireplace on a cold winter night. Of course, around here that fire smell is usually paired with hot chocolate, so you get an extra yummy holiday scent.

The list really could go on: sugar cookies, apple cider, gingerbread, egg nog. I’m starting to make myself both hungry and anxious for the holidays to get here just by thinking about these scents. I love the fact that such strong memories can be evoked simply by recalling what something smells like. Continue reading »

Views From the Ville

Original Christmas Classics Plus a Few New Ones, Too!

The Original Christmas Classics

Meal Planning is Made Easy with eMeals

The New Misfit Shine Activity Monitor Available at Best Buy

Misfit Shine Colors & Accessories

Banana Nutella Smoothie Recipe

Holiday Scents of the Season with Suave