Chatbooks Instagram Photo Book #Review #ChatbookBlogger

     My main passion in life is my kids.  I may struggle and deal with lots of frustration, anger, and sadness sometimes because of them, but I would never want to go through life without having kids, especially the ones that I have.  I am a mom, through and through.  I'm not Tiffany, I am my children's mother.  And maybe some people think that losing myself and my identity for the sake of my children is sad.  But I just don't think that there is anything about myself that I love more than the children I have raised, despite their flaws.  It's not the only part of me and I am aware that there is more to me than them, it's just the part that I am most proud of and most excited to share with people.  No, I'm not one of THOSE moms.  I don't discuss my baby's bowel movements or drippy nose, but my attention is definitely always on them.  Part of that is my shyness and my need to pull attention away from myself.  But most of it is because I am absolutely in love with my kids.

      I mean, there is more to me if you want to know.  For instance, I am a wife to an absolutely amazing man that I fell in love with way back in high school.  I love drawing and singing, I think I'm fairly good at both.  I have social anxiety sometimes and get panic attacks when confronted about ANYTHING... it's why I never cause trouble or say what's on my mind.  I am very quiet, even sometimes if I know you.  It's also why I am weak and never stand up for myself.  I'm also pretty short and have really nice skin and surprisingly soft hair considering all the damage I've done to it over the years.  And I love photography.  I think I'm also pretty good at that.

     So of course, because I use social networks, Instagram is definitely one of them.  At least, it is when I have a working phone.  I don't post ridiculous amounts of kid photos each day or anything.  I average probably one every three days or so, usually something we are doing at the time.  I post them because eventually, I want my pictures printed.

      I adore photo books.  And the Instagram Series Chatbooks are exactly the kind of book I need.  First, because it's a super important decision making factor when I buy things, let me tell you that these are affordable.  Not "affordable", like when someone says it's affordable just to find out that it's $20 for 10 pages, I mean ACTUALLY affordable.  These books have 60 photos (30 front and back pages) and costs $6, with only $1 shipping.  So $7 in all.

     If I'm calculating this right, then I would need a new book about every 6 months.  So for $7, I would be getting a book with 6 months worth of our lives inside of it.  So I know that even when I am too lazy to have my pictures printed, at least I can have them auto printed in a neat book form for about $14 per year.  It's something that I don't have to think about and can't mess up.  Memories will be right there on the page, in the mail without me having to remember to do it or take time out of my busy schedule to dictate every caption and Title.  In that photo above, that's 80's Day at school and 20's Night at church.  Those photos cost me about $.50 each to have printed and bound.

Photo of Boog courtesy of Kasi Pratt.

     Okay, now that we've discussed the price, let me tell you how it works.  When you first make an account and go to the Instagram Series part of the Chatbooks app, you will be guided through the process of accessing your Instagram account and books will automatically be made for you.  It will create a cover using one of the Instagram photos.  You can easily change the cover if you'd like.  The spine is also automatically marked with the dates of both the oldest photo in the book and the newest.  See what I mean?

Volume 1: 3 April 2013 - 13 Mar 2014

      I think that's so awesome!  I am so unorganized, that this is such a relief to me.  And not only on the spine, but each page has the photo date at the top corner just above the photo!  I can look back and see exactly what date a certain event was.  Thank you for that, Chatbook!

     When you go into the book editing part, you can change the caption or leave it as whatever caption you used when you uploaded the photo to Instagram.  You can also do what I did and remove captions from your book altogether in the book settings menu.  From here you can also choose to  exclude certain photos from the book.  And this s the only part that I wished had been different.  Although you can choose to exclude photos from one of your books, I didn't see where you could add a different photo.  You can in custom books, but I didn't see that option for the Instagram subscriptions.

     The user interface on the app is pretty simple to follow.  Although I removed captions, I was left chewing my nails so to speak until the books came, wondering if I had done it right.  So there were a few times that I was a little unsure of what I was doing, but I managed and the books came out great.  I absolutely recommend this to anyone with a personal or family Instagram account.  I REALLY wish that there was a Facebook program like it.  But then I would probably be getting a couple books a month if there was, so maybe it's best there isn't.
     Do you get your Instagram photos printed?
     To learn more, check out Chatbooks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on their website.

     Stay tuned for a giveaway in the next couple of days!  But in the meantime, use code RHHYVKUM to get your first Instagram Series book free when you start a subscription.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#GreenGobblerSnake Hair Clog Remover #Review

     You know how every house has one problem that just keeps coming back?  Some homes seem to have never-ending furnace problems, some have ants or sand fleas that can never be exterminated, some have lawn flooding and some have pests in the yard.  Well, we have plumbing issues.  Our home was built on a slab, so plumbing isn't easily gotten to to fix it.  When there is a clog, it needs to be snaked, we can never just remove the piece of pipe and clean it, then put it back on.  We've had out share of overflowing from water pipes in the furnace room.  We don't have that overflow thing in a basement, so the water flows onto our laminate floors.  It's safe to say that our laminate floors are toast at this point.

     The bathroom sink is one that tends to get clogged easily.  It never drains properly and doesn't plug well.  I almost replaced it last year, but didn't get that far.  Until that day comes , I'm gonna need a reliable sink.  So when I saw the Green Gobbler Hair Clog Remover, I was excited to try it out.   It comes in a package of four with printed instructions.  It's essentially a long plastic flexible stick that has backward facing barbs on the sides of it. When inserted into the drain, the barbs grab any hair stuck in the pipe and pulls it back up.

     So first you remove the plug to the drain, if you can.  Then, you insert the stick as far as you can down the pipe.  After that, you move it up and down a few times to make sure that any hair catches on the barbs.  When you remove the snake again, there should be hair from the pipes that comes up with it.  Here's how it worked for me: 

     When I tried it in my bathroom sink, it worked like a charm.  Look at what came up!  And that was without being able to take the plug out!  Yikes, what a mess!  The barbs caught a little bit coming back out, it likely wouldn't have if I could have done it without the plug.  But despite that, it did an awesome job.  The drain works so much better now, almost like it's new.

     I think the Green Gobbler Hair Clog Remover definitely does the job that it's supposed to.  It was very easy to use and it was a pretty rugged little contraption for all the yanking that I did on it when it got stuck.  My only suggestion would be to make it slightly longer.  I know that my shower drain has some clogging issues, but I wasn't able to reach it with this snake.

      Please excuse my gross drain.  It's blue because I recently cleaned it with dawn vinegar.  The grim is just because, well... you know, what's under the grate doesn't matter until it does... like when you're taking a picture of it.  I also tried it very briefly in the kitchen sink.  For thirty seconds of effort, I got this creature:

     I apologize for the gross pictures, I really do.  But how cool is that!?  No longer do you have to use plungers in your sinks or take the pipes apart, this thing WORKS.  It REALLY works!  I'm pretty excited about that.  Not about the hair in my kitchen sink, that's gross.  And probably the fault of my long haired cat sneaking drinks at night.  Seriously, ewww.  Glad it's not in my sink anymore.  I'm afraid what I will find when I get back to it and do the other side.
     So my feelings about this are pretty obvious.  It's simple, it;s cute, it WORKS.  Two thumbs up from us!
     To learn more, check out Green Gobbler on Facebook and EcoClean Solutions on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#BeverlyDiamonds #Review

     Have you ever had a bad store experience?  Have you ever been overcharged or bought a terrible product that you couldn't return?  Have you ever had really horrible customer service?  I'm pretty fortunate in that I had to actually think hard to remember anything like that.  I know someone in particular who can just never catch a break and is always having to fight the system just to not be taken advantage of.

     The time that comes to my mind is once when I went into the local convenience store to buy a few sandwiches.  The total came out ridiculously high.  Usually I would just swallow it and vent about it later, but it was VERY high and I was in a mood to stand up for myself.  So I asked why it was so high and the person realized that each sandwich had rung in a number of times and I was being charged in some instances three times for one sandwich.  So they "fixed it" and spent several minutes doing so.  A line was forming behind me and I felt silly.  The new total was lower, but still much higher than I anticipated.  At this point, I was irritated, but I didn't want to look like an idiot or look petty, so I let it go.  When I got to the van, I looked at the receipt to find that I was still being charged multiple times for multiple sandwiches.  And they weren't even cheap sandwiches!  I got home and e-mailed the local management but never heard back.  It was just poor customer service altogether.  I wish I had known how it would be before going!

     Knowing that a place treats their customers right and sells quality goods is important.  And it's also important when you come across excellent service, that you share about it.  So that's what I'm doing.  Recently I stumbled upon Beverly Diamonds.  I wasn't able to review a diamond ring (wouldn't that have been nice?), but I was sent a little token from them so that I could experience what customers might experience.  So here's how that went:

     First of all, their stock is unbelievable and I'm super envious of anyone who actually gets to go and order something from them.  They have nothing but stunning diamonds on white gold, yellow gold, and platinum... everything that you would want in a wedding ring, engagement ring, or other piece of jewelry for that special person in your life.  The choices are almost endless and they all vary in carat weight and metal type.  Some items have multiple kinds of metal as well.  This one below reminds me of my husband's belt, which is silly I guess, but also sentimental and sweet.  It makes me smile:

     So, I "ordered" my little token and was assured of exactly what I was getting.  I knew exactly what metal and what stone I was getting.  It was reassuring to know exactly what to expect.  It shipped fast and arrived in perfect condition.  I was never left wondering how the order was coming along.  I think that's important, especially when working with a company who deals in such important purchases.  And speaking of purchases, probably my favorite feature of the site is that they can help you with financing.  Even us regular people can afford it!

 

      While browsing the online store, I saw that it really is important to the folks at Beverly Diamonds for customers know what they are ordering and how it differs from things that may seem similar, but aren't.  There is a whole part of the site dedicated to educating customers on different cuts, carat weights, and metal types, among other things.  It's really great to see that there are companies who really care about their customers' happiness and satisfaction.  I definitely recommend checking out Beverly Diamonds if you are in the market for diamond jewelry, you won't be disappointed.
     What's your favorite cut?  I'd have to go with the pear cut (above).
     To learn more, please check out Beverly Diamonds on Facebook, Twitter, and on their website.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Majestical #Jewelry #Review

      I'd consider myself a pretty "Plain Jane" type person.  I do dye my hair sometimes in funky colors.  I'll have purple and black hair as soon as I find what I did with the purple dye, but that's fairly mainstream nowadays.  That's about the extent of my eccentricity.  I think my plain appearance stems from me not wanting to stand out in any way.  I'm pretty shy and I like people to just not see me sometimes because if I'm not chipper enough, I can tend to just stand there feeling silently awkward, so I stay to myself a lot.  Then sometimes I get bored with my plainness and I wonder why no one does see me... aren't I confusing?  It's times like that when I bring out what color I do own.

     One of those pieces is the Coral Bead Stunner Necklace and earring set from Majestical Jewelry. The necklace a bit of a statement necklace and it's one of the most vivid and bold necklaces that I own.  I love it for that very reason.  But the reason that I mostly love it is that it really goes with almost anything.  This is great for me because I'm not really too fashion savvy.

The necklace is about 28 inches long with a 3" extender.  You can wear it shorter or longer.  I'm a pretty petite person, so I tend to wear it more on the shorter end.  As you can see in the photo, the metal is gold in color and the faceted beads are an orange color.  I did a web search to check into what color "coral" was.  Although I knew, I needed something to show just what shade of coral this particular necklace is, at least the one that I got.  So here is the closest that I could find:

     It might look slightly different in my photos due to surroundings, outfit color or post-processing of the photo itself.  The color really is very beautiful.  I think it goes with shirts in the same color family and also shirts in completely different color families, like the tealish blue that are in the two shirts I am wearing in the photos.

      I love the shape of the beads, how they are faceted and interesting, they aren't just round and boring beads.  I say "beads", they aren't stringed that I can tell, they seem to be glued to the metal and they have flat backs that show through to the back of the necklace.  The necklace is very high quality and very comfortable as well.  And the earrings did not bother my ears, despite my ears being very sensitive to metals.  The earrings are a bit big for my taste, but surprisingly I like them anyway.

     Overall, I think that this is a really nice set to have for when I'm feeling outgoing and I want to bust out of my shell a little bit.  I'm glad that I have it.

     What's your go-to accessory color?

     To learn more, visit Majestical Jewelry on Facebook, Twitter, or their website. 

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#LastMan Paracord #Survival Kit Braclet #Review

     I know I've talked a lot about camping and you are all probably sick of it by now.  But we still haven't taken our trip yet, so I'm still all amped up on camping tips and ideas.  Tips like the "luggable loo", it's seriously just a bucket, a bag, and kitty litter.  Who knew!?  And things like how to make coffee from a pot of water, how to pack food to stay cold all weekend, lots of fun stuff.  We've started collecting gear, like sleeping bags, travel games, flashlights and food pouches.  I can't wait til we go.

     One thing we're packing is for the hike we're going to go on in the woods, because we don't want to get lost.  And if we do get lost, we want everything we could need to stay safe and get home.  We're taking the Last Man survival kit bracelet.  It's an entire kit!  In one bracelet!

     This bracelet is amazing.  It's your typical survival bracelet from 12 feet of nylon paracord, except that it also includes a compass, 2 1 3/4" safety pins, 1" alcohol prep pad, a dried grass tinder bundle, a 2" diameter serrated fire striker and 2 1/4" ferrocerium fire starter rod, two 3/8" egg sinkers, two 1/2" foam bobbers, 30' of 10lb test fishing line, two 1 1/8" line swivels, a snelled #2 offset kale hook with 20" leader line and a snelled 3/0 offset kale hook with 20" leader line.  That's a LOT of survival stuff in one small package!

     So of course we tested the bracelet out and I hope that you will forgive me, but I didn't rip it apart and test all the individual items.  After all, putting the bracelet back together would be a highly unlikely event unless you know weaving, which I don't.  I'm half debating giving it as a Christmas gift to a survival enthusiast in the family (providing we don't have to teat into it while camping).  But we didn't have to get into it to check all the important testables.

      First, we tried the fire starter aspect of it.  We held the fire rod just as instructed in the user manual and scraped the serrated edge if the fire striker onto it quickly.  It took a few times to scratch the coating of the fire starter rod off, but the instructions said that it would.  It gave a really nice spark and I know it would start a fire with no problem.

     The serrated edge is nice and sharp and would cut anything necessary, such as small twigs, rope, fishing line, etc.  I thought that using the fire striker and fire starter rod as the bracelet's clasp was a really neat idea.  It did cause a small problem when some of the fishing line from in the bracelet caught on the serrated edge when one of the kids turned the ring around.  I was not impressed, I had been being careful not to let it snag.  Now I keep it turned 90 degrees.  Hopefully your kids don't get into EVERYTHING like mine, but if they do, just be warned that some fishing line may come out.  We fixed it with a small crochet hook and it looks fine now.

     As far as the rest of the stuff, it was very easy to find that it was all included, I just curved the bracelet backwards and you can see each item through the inside between the paracord.  It's all wrapped neatly inside a plastic baggie that can be just pulled out.

     To take the stuff out, you are supposed to untuck the melted ends of the cord and ease the bag of contents out.  However, I really think (though didn't test the theory) that if you bend one end of the bracelet and fiddle with pulling the rest of the bracelet away from that end, that the bag will come out without unweaving the bracelet.  I can't stress it enough, taking the bracelet apart is pretty undoable.  But you can still use the bracelet without the inside contents if you ease it out another way.

     Some features worth some extra mention: The paracord that it is made of can be taken apart and there are seven strands of cord inside, so this is actually potentially 84' of usable cord for anything you might need.  If you can manage to do it without ruining the casing, you could use the casing for things that don't require heavy too much strength, like drying socks or something.  Another one is the compass.  I haven't really mentioned that much, but it's definitely accurate.  I learned where North-East really was from my house and it points me that way every single time.  Turns out that my internal compass isn't as awesome as I thought.  It isn't terrible, but it isn't great.  I thought North was closer to where North-East actually is.
     Our thoughts about this bracelet are that it's awesome!  It;s the best survival bracelet I've ever seen (no offense to the wonderful Parkers who made us some pretty great ones).  It really has everything you would need to survive outside except a couple survival blankets and a pot.  We're impressed!
     What would you want in a survival bracelet?  Anything not listed?


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.