I had been hearing how great the Keurig brewers were for ages. I really didn’t see how one coffee maker could be better than the next.  It wasn’t until I got my own Keurig B30 Mini Brewer that I realized just how AWESOME a Keurig really was.

I chose the Keurig Mini Brewer because while my kitchen isn’t tiny, I don’t like a lot of big appliances taking up space. I also drink only 1 cup of coffee per day and just needed a small unit that made great tasting coffee.

My Keurig Mini has exceeded my expectations with the quality of it’s coffee in it’s pint little size.

The Keurig Mini couldn’t be easier to use. Just pop in a K-Cup, add a cup full of water and press the button. Voila! A delicious cup of coffee in just a few minutes. I love the easy cleanup because there is none! Just throw away the used K-Cup and replace with a new one when you want your next cup.

The K-Cups are fabulous! There are  over 200 K-cup varieties of gourmet coffee, tea and hot cocoa from your favorite brands (Green Mountain, Tully’s etc) to choose from. There really is something for everyone even if you are not a coffee drinker. My 5 year old daughter loved the hot chocolate, and my mom loved the tea.

Product Features

- Single-serve brewing system for gourmet coffee or tea

- Uses patented K-Cups; no messy grinding or clean up

- Brews an 8-ounce cup at a time; ready in less than 3 minutes

- 1-touch technology; variety pack of 10 K-Cups included

- Measures 11-1/2 by 10 by 13-1/4 inches

- Take it with you anywhere–Office, Vacation Home, College Dorm

- Available in Black, White & Red

Ages – Adult use only (perfect gift for mom or dad)

Price – Retails for $89.95

Buy – Buy the Keurig B30 Mini Brewer

Rating: It gets 5 extra starts because it’s that good!

“I was provided  a Keurig Mini Brewer from MS&L to review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

Do you love coffee (or any other hot beverage) but hate having to wait for your drink to cool to the perfect temperature?

The Brugo Travel Mug is just what you need. The Brugo Mug is unique in the fact that it takes any hot beverage and cools it to the perfect temperature from the first sip.

“Fresh coffee is brewed at 205 degrees, but its vibrant flavors are most distinguishable and pleasing at around 150 to 170 degrees. By using a simple “tip and sip” motion, BRUGO™ users transfer sip-sized amounts (one fluid ounce) of their hot beverage to the temperature control chamber, where it immediately reaches this Perfect Temperature Zone. Only the liquid in the chamber is cooled and only this liquid exits the sip opening. This inventive system eliminates the need for coffee drinkers to blow on their beverage, add ice to it, or wait for it to cool.

The BRUGO™ lid has three options: LOCK, TIP & COOL, and SIP. The LOCK setting seals the mug and is perfect for transporting the beverage without spilling. TIP & COOL gives the consumer the full benefits of the temperature control chamber. Once the beverage in the mug has cooled to a palatable temperature, users simply turn the dial to SIP and drink the beverage directly.“

I received a Brugo Mug to try for myself. When I took it out of the package for the first time I noticed the size. This is a serious mug. Visually the Brugo is very appealing. It comes in a wide variety of colors with the same basic style. There are grooves on the outside to ensure a nice fit in your hand and to prevent slipping. The lid to the Brugo has 3 settings that you can dial based on your needs.

I tested out the Brugo right away with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee from my Keurig. When I used the Sip feature it was too hot, so I dialed it over to Tip & Cool which was noticeably cooler. I took me a little while to figure out the Tip & Cool feature as you must tip it a certain way to get the hot liquid in the chamber. A little practice will make perfect. The lock feature is also nice if you are traveling to prevent spills.

Ages – Adult use only (perfect gift for mom or dad)

Price – Retails for $19.95

Buy – Buy the Brugo Travel Mug

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If you are looking for a holiday sweet treat to send to your friends and family this holiday season, look no further than Byrd Cookie Company.

Based out of Savannah, Georgia,  Byrd Cookie Company has been making gourmet confections since 1924!

We sampled Byrd Cookie Company’s Decorate Your Own Cookie Party! and were impressed with both the presentation and taste of the cookies.

The Decorate Your Own Cookie Party! comes packaged in an adorable peppermint candy box-

Inside comes 12 Iced Gingerbread Holiday cookies and 4 confectionery ink markers-

I let my daughter be the artist and she decorated the cookies to her hearts content. She had a blast making these little gingerbread people-

And how was the taste of the cookie? They were delicious! The gingerbread was crisp and the icing was perfect. There is no additional taste to the edible marker in case you were wondering.

This was such a fun activity, and with 12 cookies to decorate, multiple children can participate.

My first thought was this would be an awesome gift for a child the night before Christmas to decorate cookies for Santa.

Byrd Cookie Company has a whole selection of holiday gifts, as well as their traditional Byrd Cookie Favorites.

Ages – all ages (Perfect gift for both kids and adults)

Price – $21.95 for cookies shown, cookies start at $6.95

Buy – Buy Byrd Cookie Company Cookies

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My absolute favorite presents are gourmet food gifts. Our family likes try new things that we normally don’t normally buy around the holidays.

One of the companies I have been drooling over is Mrs. Prindables.

Mrs. Prindables invented the caramel apple as we know it today. They don’t just make ordinary caramel apples though, they make JUMBO caramel and chocolate covered apples, handmade with only the freshest premium ingredients.

Mrs. Prindables  Gourmet Apples make the perfect gift or hostess present for your loved ones this holiday season.

We were sent the Holiday Jumbo Apple to sample and enjoy.

A juicy, jumbo apple drenched in caramel, chocolate and gourmet toppings all dressed up with a seasonal Holiday bow! Available in all our Signature flavors, shown on Milk Chocolate Walnut Pecan.

The apple arrived very quickly, packed in a large box with ice packs and and in an insulated bag.

The presentation was perfect for gift giving.

This personalized packaging is complimentary with any apple or confections purchase.

Inside the box the apple was securely wrapped in cellophane.  We chose not to eat the apple right away and took it out of the box and placed it in the refrigerator, where it sat – tempting me to eat it.

The next day, when the whole family was together, we decided it was time to sample this treat.

First of all, this is no ordinary covered apple.  Its about 2 times the size of a normal apple and COVERED in caramel, chocolate, pecans and walnuts. The weight of the apple was 1.5 lbs and suggested serving is 8-10.

While the apple was definitely large, I can’t imagine this serving 8-10 people. We shared it between the 3 of us and I had 75% of it. My husband and daughter each had a serving, and I had probably 4. So easily serves 6, but really you will not want to share.

The actual apple itself was crisp and juicy. Perfect color and obviously very fresh. Here you can see the thick layer of chocolate and nuts.

I was in chocolate/nut apple heaven.

I can honestly say, hands down, this was the best gourmet covered apple I have ever had.

Don’t forget your out of town friends and family this season. Mrs. Prindables will ship your apple anywhere in the United States.

This is a gift that everyone will remember!

Ages – All ages (Perfect gift for the family, gourmet food lover)

Price – $22.95

Buy – Buy Mrs. Prindables Holiday Apples

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**Mrs. Prindables sent me a Jumbo Holiday Apple to enjoy in exchange for sharing my honest opinion of the product – Apple was delicious!**

Stop wasting money on bottled water and get clean hot or cold water from the new Cuisinart CleanWater Counter Top Filtration System. Makes a great gift for the family that can be used for years to come.

Review – Click to see my full review of the Cuisinart CleanWater

Ages – Product meant for adult use, perfect gift for family

Price - Retails for $149

Buy – Buy the Cuisinart CleanWater Filtration System

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Computers can be so fickle. And in a moments notice all your important files, photos, and memories can be gone. The Seagate Replica Backup Hard Drive keeps your memories safe by constantly backing up, and making a copy of your computer files on a portable hard drive.

Review – Click to see my full review of the Seagate Replica

Ages – Product meant for adult use

Price – Retails for around $80

Buy – Buy the Seagate Replica 250 GB Single PC Backup System

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