Dad’s Cookie Co.


We discovered Dad’s Original Scotch Oatmeal Cookies while visiting the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch two summers ago.  These unassuming cookies we bought at the gift store appeared to be just your average cookie, something to snack on until we had supper later that evening.  We were pleasantly surprised how delicious these crispy, brown sugar oatmeal cookies tasted.

After researching, we were disappointed to find out that these cookies are only sold in the St. Louis area.  However, you can order them online.  This year, we wanted the experience of visiting the actual bakery, Dad’s Cookie Co., where the cookies are sold.  Once again, these unassuming cookies originate in an unassuming bakery.  This location is over 100 years old and carries a lot of history with it.  Upon visiting the bakery, it was not what we expected (very small and not updated).  However, it was an enjoyable experience that surprised us just like the cookies did.

If you visit the actual bakery, they bag up the cookies the way they always have:  in a brown paper bag tied with string.  And you get a much better deal on the price:  1 pound of cookies (we got 35-36 cookies) for $3.69 plus the cookies they sell out of their cookie barrel in the store are larger cookies than the pre-packaged ones they sell online.  We were pleasantly surprised again!

I talked to a St. Louis local earlier this year and found out she has relatives who make it a point to get Dad’s cookies every time they come to visit.  After reading online, there are Dad’s Cookie Co. fans all over the country.  I told the local lady that these cookies remind me of ones my mother used to make when I was growing up.  She said a lot of people say that!

Here’s what I wrote about our first encounter with these famous St. Louis Cookies, Dad’s Original Scotch Oatmeal Cookies.

 

NOVICA Review & Giveaway

Until recently, I was unfamiliar with NOVICA.  In fact, I had never heard of it, but that soon changed.  Part of NOVICA’S mission is this, “At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe. We want you to know about who you’re buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.”

Their handcrafted treasures come from these parts of the world:

  • Andes
  • Bali and Java
  • Brazil
  • Central America
  • India
  • Mexico
  • Thailand
  • West Africa

..
When I was given the opportunity to select something from NOVICA, it took me a while to browse through the jewelry, home decor, and gifts made by talented artisans worldwide.  Did I want to get something like Womens Robes, or Sarongs, or maybe Floral Bracelets?  There was so much to choose from!

.I finally decided on the beautiful earrings you see below and was excited when a box arrived at our house less than a week after it was shipped. The fine quality of the earrings was obvious as soon as I took them out of the gift box.  They were crafted by hand by Lilly Rahmann who uses bronzite and citrine in this unique design.  (She is from Thailand and makes other beautiful jewelry as well.) I really do like these earrings!..

..


……………..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Novica Live:


F.F……………………………………………………………………….
For those who are interested in their new home party division, NOVICA LIVE is a great opportunity for you to either become a consultant or host a party:

“For our consultants, getting in early is a big opportunity in direct sales. They’ll be able to make some good money and support artisans worldwide. We’re expanding across the country right now and signing up new consultants every week.”
..
With that said, on to the giveaway.

Win it:

One lucky reader will win a $35 gift code to NOVICA. This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Friday, July 15, 2011. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit NOVICA‘s site and let me know in a comment what you might choose if you win.

Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry. And if you’ve previously subscribed, followed, or liked Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too.  That counts!

  • “Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)
  • “Like” NOVICA on Facebook. (1 extra entry)
  • Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)
  • Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
  • Follow NOVICA on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
  • Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed. See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page. (1 extra entry)
  • Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)
  • Leave a NEW comment on as many other posts as you like. Be sure to let me know which posts you commented on below. (1 entry per day)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with a gift code for myself and one for this giveaway.  I was not compensated monetarily for this article.  All opinions are mine and are honestly given.

Giveaway Coming Soon: NOVICA $35 Gift Code

Watch for a great giveaway, a gift code to NOVICA for $35, that I plan to be having soon.  Actually, it will be a review and giveaway. I chose some beautiful earrings to review that are made by an artisan in Thailand.
If you are not familiar with NOVICA (I wasn’t until just recently), then I recommend going to their site and looking around at all the many things they have made by artisans in other parts of the world.

My New Grilling Accessories Set Arrived!

Remember I told you I was having a giveaway for a NSF Approved Grilling Accessories Set?  Well, I received one in the mail today for myself!  I was thrilled!  If you would like to enter the giveaway for the same set, all you have to do is click here and then leave a simple comment on my blog.  That’s it!  You have a good chance of winning because there are not many entries.

The tongs are really nice, from Crate & Barrel, and they lock when you want them to stay closed.  The Rubbermaid Premier container is BPA Free, stain resistant, and is from the AVEC Easy Find Lids grouping.  The meat thermometer is a nice one, nicer than the one we have.  And the Chef’s Apron looks like something from Food Network.  It’s so easy to enter the giveaway for a set for yourself!

 

Product Review: Desk Chair from CSN Stores









What did I choose to review from CSN Stores?  This time, I chose a desk chair for our son who’s in college.  He was thrilled when we brought this chair out to him.  It’s very comfortable, has padded arm rests, a padded seat, and is stylish to look good in a dorm room, home office, or even a business.

Again, I’m impressed how quickly the chair arrived!  Every time we receive something from CSN, it arrives in just a few days after ordering it.  And what’s great about CSN is that they have a lot of products with free shipping.  That makes for an even greater value for the money!

By the way, CSN Online Stores is such an easy way to shop! I never had shopped online until the past couple of years. I’ve found CSN so easy and convenient plus I don’t have to go around to a lot of different stores trying to find a good deal.  I recommend CSN for your online shopping, however, use “Sort by: View by price: Low-High” and find those with free shipping for the best deals. They have 200+ online stores from which to shop.

* CSN provided me with the chair for this review. However, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review. This is my honest opinion of their product.


Product Review: Family Dollar Holiday Entertaining & Gift Items


I was excited when a large box arrived on my doorstep, and when I opened it…this is what I found!  I knew that Family Dollar was sending me something, but I had no idea it would be this big!

Inside this beautifully wrapped package were all sorts of goodies. There were things for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!


In my gift basket for “Halloween Happiness,” there were Spooky Lollipop Rings and Halloween Suckers plus a Halloween pumpkin. (Family Dollar has good prices on their candy for trick or treaters! Note the Lollipop Rings are just $2.) For Thanksgiving, there were several things: an apron (a bib apron with two large pockets AND with DuPont Teflon fabric protector to protect from stains), two holiday dessert recipes from the Family Dollar Holiday Recipe and Coupon Booklet, and a fall leaves bowl.

By the way, you might want to get the Family Dollar Holiday Recipe and Coupon Booklet to help with your entertaining needs and your budget.

The “Christmas Corner” included a Family Dollar Christmas Toy Book which has 24 pages of value packed Christmas toys, affordable for every family.  Our daughter (Christi from Frugal Novice) was visiting when I opened my Family Dollar “Fall Entertaining Toolkit” basket of goodies.  When she saw the toys they sent me, which are in the Family Dollar Toy Book, she was impressed and said that she would definitely be going to Family Dollar to purchase some toys for gifts.

They have $5 toys for kids of every age, and they feature popular name brands like Hot Wheels, Disney, and Bakugan.  In fact, they sent me a Bakugan toy.  I have to admit that I had no idea what that was, but our daughter was very familiar with Bakugan toys.  When I gave it to our grandson (Christi & Brian’s three year old), he was fascinated with it.  In the picture, you can see our grandson, dressed in his red pajamas, playing very intently with his new toy. He liked it so much that he slept with it that night, and even went to sleep with it clutched in his little hand.  It was definitely a hit!

.

Family Dollar has everything from kids’ favorites like full-function Radio Control Kid Cruisers to $5 board games to Kidget clothing for newborns-toddlers to hot-priced electronics.  They have play huts for $10 such as the Disney’s Tinker Bell and Disney’s Princess.  They have something for everyone!  What is really impressive is their great selection of $5 toys and gifts.  Also available are wrapping paper and seasonal home decor accents at great prices. No wonder they’re one of the fastest-growing discount chains in the United States and also a Fortune 500 company.

If you visit Family Dollar.com, you can enter the Family Dollar Holiday Dream Dash Contest for a chance to win a 90 seconds holiday shopping spree in one of their stores.  You can enter now through November 19, 2020.  Be sure to go back and vote the week of November 22nd.

Note:  Family Dollar offers a 10% discount on bulk toy purchases of $100 or more, perfect for the charitable gift-giver!

Product Review: 100% Egyptian Cotton Sheets from CSN Stores.com

How many of you are familiar with CSN Stores, the easy way to shop online? We became familiar with them earlier this year, and we’re impressed with the quality of their merchandise and their prompt delivery. Both times, we received our order within several days.  And both times, we were very pleased with what we ordered from CSN.
Recently, CSN gave me the opportunity to review one of their products, and I chose the Luxor Treasures King-Size Sheet Set with 100% Egyptian Cotton.  After the sheets arrived, I washed them and put them on the bed the very next day.  I couldn’t wait to try them out!

We are very pleased with these sheets!  My husband has remarked several times how much he likes them.  They are definitely high quality sheets, and we would recommend these to our family and friends.  In fact, I have already recommended them to our daughter.

With these sheets, though, you do need to make sure you follow washing instructions and take them out of the dryer as soon as they are dry.  If you don’t, they will wrinkle.  So just set the timer and take the sheets out as soon as the timer goes off.

* CSN provided me with the sheets for this review. However, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.  This is my honest opinion of their product.


Product Review: Airwear Lenses From Essilor

* Update:  I’ve had my Airwear Lenses for way over a year and a half now, and I love them.  They are durable and light weight which makes them so comfortable to wear.

I was given the opportunity to review Airwear lenses recently.  I sent my eyeglass frames to them, they put in Airwear progressive lenses for me, and I received them this week.  They are great!   I was noticing before I received these lenses that when I drove at night, the glare bothered me.  Now when I leave for work in the morning before the sun comes up, the glare from lights doesn’t bother me anymore.

The reason that the glare doesn’t bother me now is because these lenses are made with Scotchgard Protector, the most technologically advanced No-Glare lenses available.  They also have exclusive scratch-resistance technology, are lightweight (they are so lightweight that I don’t notice I have them on sometimes), and provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.  How awesome is that!

Here are some facts about Airwear:

  • Airwear lenses are tough and durable. They are so tough that NASA uses the same material to construct visors for astronauts.
  • Airwear lenses are 43% lighter and 25% thinner than regular lenses, and 12 times more impact-resistant than standard plastic lenses.
  • Airwear lenses offer safe, durable lenses for those who like to play sports.
  • 100% of the production waste from Airwear lenses is recycled, greatly helping the environment during the manufacturing process.
  • Airwear lenses are manufactured using 100% recycled water which conserves millions of gallons of water annually.
  • Airwear lenses provide 100% protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays.  Over 12 million people develop blindness from cataracts annually, and about 20% of those cases may be caused or made worse by sun exposure.

Here are some additional eye-care tips and facts on choosing lenses and a video demonstration of Airwear lenses impact resistance.

* Airwear provided me with lenses for this review. However, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.  This is my honest opinion of their product.

Review: Computer Desk from CSN Stores

I left a clue about what I was going to get with my gift certificate from CSN.  Did anyone catch the clue?  It was in my post about My Office Area Needs Help!  This is what I had written: “I have my monitor on a nice stand, however, I have to put my keyboard on a wooden TV tray and have trouble with my mouse falling off. What I really need is a new desk!”

CSN Stores.com has so much to choose from, but I knew I wanted a desk.  The computer desk that you see pictured here is what I chose.  I am so excited to have this stylish new desk!  Here’s the review I wrote about it:

By Mom from Texas on 9/6/2010
Your Rating: 5 stars
Headline: Great contemporary-style desk!

Pros : Easy To Move, Sturdy Construction, Attractive Design, Space Saver, Drawer Slides Smoothly, Easy To Clean, Easy To Assemble
Best Uses : Bedroom, Smaller Offices, Living room
Describe Yourself : Budget Shopper
Primary use : Personal

This desk is perfect for the small space I have. Our kids (college-age and 20’s) like my stylish contemporary desk.  It’s a great buy for the money, and my husband and I were surprised how quickly it arrived.  We are very pleased with this desk!

Can you tell how much we like it?  I can see why it’s one of their top sellers!

* CSN supplied me with a gift certificate which I used for my desk.  However, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.  This is my honest opinion of their product.

.

September is Pain Awareness Month

Did you realize that many Americans suffer from lower body pain?  One source said that 80% of Americans suffer from that type of pain.  I had no idea the percentage was that high.   I also found out that Dr. Scholl’s has some affordable solutions to help alleviate pain.  Their line of Dr. Scholl’s Pain Relief Orthotics are specially designed insoles for all-day pain relief in the feet and lower body.  They have different types of insoles which provide the following types of relief:

  • Arch Pain Relief
  • Arthritis Pain Relief
  • Back Pain Relief
  • Heel Pain Relief
  • Knee Pain Relief

Dr. Scholl’s has given me the opportunity to review three of their products for Arch Pain Relief, Back Pain Relief, and Arthritis Pain Relief.  My favorite are the ones for arch pain relief.  I have higher arches, need arch support, and have some shoes that don’t have good arch support.  The added arches work great and are adjustable so I can get the amount of arch support I need!

Dr. Scholl’s has a new Facebook Page where you can find info on products, pain, treatment options, and even coupons.  “Yay!” about coupons.  So many of us are using coupons nowadays.  Just go to “Challenge” on their Facebook site.

* Dr. Scholl’s supplied me with three pairs of arches for review.  However, I was not compensated monetarily for this article and review.  The review is strictly my opinion.

Coming Soon: Product Review from CSN

.
.
.

Earlier this summer, CSN Online Stores provided me with a gift certificate for a giveaway on my blog, and now they’re providing me with a gift certificate of my own to purchase one of their products for review.  I’m excited about getting to choose something!


I’ve looked through several of their 200+ sites and have looked at a lot of different things such as a Dutch oven, an assortment of small kitchen appliances, and bedding. They even have home improvement items, outdoor living items, and so much more.  There are many different categories of products to look through!  It’s like looking through a huge department store.

I’m fairly sure of what I’m going to choose.   I left a clue in one of my posts this month and plan to share this with you soon!  So, watch for the product review within the next two or three weeks.