2010 February

Hand Bound Books & Albums from Rag and Bone Bindery

February 27, 2010 By Robin 12 Comments

Rag and Bone Bindery produces hand bound archival quality books and albums. These handcrafted books are perfect for safekeeping your special memories. Their product line includes: photo albums (see review below), journals, guest books, baby books, binders and more. Rag and Bone books and albums are available in a wide selection of attractive cover fabrics.

The bindery is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and their books and albums are handcrafted right in the studio, by professional bookbinders. Rag and Bone also sources, many of their materials locally. This local sourcing is not only an environmentally sound choice, but is economically beneficial to this struggling community. Another way that Rag and Bone has reduced the environmental impact of their production is the use of recycled content. 30% post consumer content paper is used for pages and paper products, and the book board used to create the covers is 100% recycled content (75% post consumer).

It is also nice to know that, Rag and Bone has done special orders for Oprah, Barnes & Noble, Sundance and many more.

Books, albums and papergoods can be purchased directly through the Rag and Bone website, or through various boutiques.

Hand Bound Photo Frame Album: Review

I was given one of Rag and Bone’s Photo Frame Albums for review. The album features slip in heavy stock pages, made of archival paper. It holds twenty standard size (4″x6″) photographs. There are currently 37 different fabric options available for the covers. The pattern featured in this review is called “Poppies”.

The bindery has been in business since 1991, and the experience certainly shows in the quality of their products. The cover was well constructed with tight seams. Unlike mass produced books, the care taken in production is quite visible.

I found it very easy to slide my photographs into the frame pages. The photos stayed snuggly in place without any slippage, but removing them, to rearrange was no trouble at all. These are important things to keep in mind, when selecting an album, especially if you are dealing with older cherished pictures. No one wants to damage special photographs putting them into an album for safe keeping.

The photos I put in my album are some of my favorite shots of my daughter. Most are about two years old now, and finally have a home. I am happy to know they are now safely stored in archival sleeves, and the presentation could not be better.

I will be keeping these photo frame albums in mind, when buying shower gifts in the future. They are perfect for both bridal or baby showers. The albums would also be an excellent choice for professional photographers, to showcase or package their work.

*Disclaimer: While I was given a free sample for review, the views presented here are my own honest opinion and no monetary compensation was given.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Reviews & Giveaways, Rhode Island Area, Women Tagged With: buy handmade, photography, reviews

Wordless Wednesday – A Great Day to Get Dirty

February 24, 2010 By Robin 18 Comments

Monday was an unusually warm day for February in New England. We have full sun in our back yard, and temperatures were well in the 60′s. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed getting to play in her sandbox.

Filed Under: Misc. Tagged With: wordless wednesday

Steaz Iced Teaz Review

February 23, 2010 By Robin 10 Comments

Steaz is a Fair Trade company which produces 3 different lines of organic ready to drink teas. I received a sampler six pack of Steaz Iced Teaz a few weeks ago, from a promotion they did with Amy at ResourcefulMommy. The pack contained two each of: Green Tea with Peach, Green Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate Acai and White Tea with Lime & Pomegranate.

I am not generally a big fan of ready to drink iced teas, most are too sweet for my taste. I also avoid high fructose corn sugar, which far too many beverage companies use as a cost cutting way to sweeten their teas. Not only does Steaz use real cane sugar, but their teas are lightly sweetened. I find this to be far more refreshing. The level of sweetness was perfect in my opinion, and my husband enjoyed them also.

My favorite out of the three I tried was the Green Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate Acai. I have purchased this flavor a few times, after the samples ran out. My husband liked the Green Tea with Peach the best. He usually drinks iced tea I brew for him, but I’m sure I will be picking up a few cans over the spring and summer, to bring on outings. Steaz Iced Teaz are currently available at Target, natural food markets and many super markets. Hopefully in time they will be more widely available in convenience stores, as well.

Verdict: Well, I have already bought Steaz Iced Teaz after trying the samples. That in itself tells the whole story.

Disclosure: I got some samples that were available to public. The views presented here are my own honest opinion and no monetary compensation was given.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Food & Beverage, Reviews & Giveaways Tagged With: reviews

The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show

February 20, 2010 By Robin 4 Comments

I went to The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show this afternoon with my husband and our young daughter. Regretfully, I forgot my camera at home. I would have had a very hard time getting any larger scenes anyway, as the show was absolutely mobbed. The unusually warm weather, must have brought out the crowds.

The shows theme this year was “Timeless Gardens”, and featured gardens as flashbacks to prior decades. The 60′s seemed particularly popular in the vignettes, and my husband actually thought the whole show was a 60′s theme, until I told him that it covered various decades ( I would have thought the same thing he did at that point , if I hadn’t read about the show earlier). Some of the vignettes this year seemed to concentrate a bit too much on the theme, rather than presenting a quality garden presentation, but most were quite nice.

The giant sand sculpture commemorating the 60′s was impressive and the patio garden across from it was well executed. There was also a display representing a dilapidated church yard, with a brook running through it that my husband liked, and pond vignette that was rather pretty.

The vendors area was as large, if not larger than the display area. About half the vendors were selling products which were not remotely related to flowers, gardening or landscaping. There were some wonderful garden sculptures and other crafted garden items, and a few vendors actually selling plants. I was pleased to see these vendors did not seem to jack up their prices for the show. My husband was disappointed that no one was there to present any decking options. I was a hoping to see some more exotic plants for sale, but my daughter was thrilled to see the Pillow Pets display.

While it was a nice day out, I don’t see us attending next year.

Filed Under: Rhode Island Area Tagged With: gardening

Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce: Review & Giveaway

February 18, 2010 By Robin

I recently received two bottles of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce to try out. Although the sauce is labeled all purpose, I was skeptical. I didn’t need to be.

I first realized that the sauce had gone over well, after seeing one of the bottles was about a third empty. Apparently, my husband had used it on his steak tips a day or so earlier. Mr. Fussy had liked it.

Last night, both my husband and I used Country Bob’s All Purpose sauce on our dinners, but in different ways. He had steak tips again, with a side of ramen noodles. Country Bob’s was poured straight from the bottle onto, both the steak and noodles. I prepared a piece of pork tenderloin, which I flattened out, dry rubbed and pan grilled. I whisked a little Country Bob’s all Purpose sauce, Ponzu sauce (lemon flavoured lighter version of soy sauce) and sesame oil together to top my pork and roasted asparagus side. We both enjoyed our dinners.

I was particularly impressed, at how well the Country Bob’s all Purpose sauce worked in making an asian sauce. I make a lot of asian food at my house and have tried using various american BBQ sauces in these recipes with mixed results. This Country Bob’s sauce melded wonderfully with the asian flavours. It truely is a versatile sauce.

One other important thing, I wanted to note about the sauce was the ingredients list. There is no high fructose corn syrup, or added chemicals, just natural ingredients. This is a huge plus for me.

Verdict: I was impressed by the quality, flavor and versatility of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce. I would certainly buy it again.

*Disclaimer: While I did receive a free sample of this sauce to try for this review, the statements made here are my own honest opinion, and no monetary compensation was given.

Giveaway: Congratulations to Shawna & 2babies1momma the confirmed winners.

Filed Under: Food, Food & Beverage, Reviews & Giveaways Tagged With: cooking, giveaway, reviews

Wordless Wednesday 2/17

February 16, 2010 By Robin 19 Comments

I was going through some old pics and this guy was just too cool. It was taken in the Rain Forest exhibit at Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, RI.

Filed Under: Misc. Tagged With: wordless wednesday

The New Rainbow Brite Doll

February 13, 2010 By Robin

Rainbow Brite is back! She and her friends Moonglow and Tickled have had a makeover, but they still have the same positive messages of hope, kindness and courage, to share with children. The 10″ dolls and their horse companions, are now available at Target and ToysRUs.

Just yesterday afternoon, I received Rainbow Brite herself to review for this post. You will notice there is no in-box picture. My 32 month old daughter caught sight of the doll in it’s package, shortly after it was delivered. She has a speech delay, words are a real struggle for her, so she is learning signs to help her along until she masters speech. After she signed “more” several times and pushed the doll into my lap, she announced “gi” (give), while signing the word. Needless to say the package was promptly opened.

This was the most interested, I have ever seen her in a doll. I think the bright contrasting colors really appealed to her. Last night, she fell asleep with her new friend, Rainbow.

Verdict: Obviously my daughter would give the new Rainbow Brite doll a thumbs up. The only thing I didn’t care for about the doll, was the wristbands. They are nearly impossible to keep on. I ended out, just putting them aside.

Disclosure: While I did receive a product sample for review, the opinions presented here are my own.

Filed Under: Children, Reviews & Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, reviews, toys

Dapper Snappers Review

February 12, 2010 By Robin 70 Comments

If you have a child who is lean for their height, you have dealt with the frustration of finding pants that fit properly. My toddler daughter has a tall and lean build, so I have experience in this area. Toddler belts can be cumbersome for children who are in the midst of developing potty skills, so they are out. While I have found a couple brands that make interior adjustable waistbands, selection can be limited.

There is a new alternative to the traditional toddler belt, now. They are called Dapper Snappers, and are made in the USA. A Dapper Snapper is a elasticized band with heavy rivet snaps, which utilizes the rear belt loops of the child’s pants to make a tighter fit. The band is threaded through the three rear belt loops, then folded over on each end and snapped into the appropriate rivet. I guess they could almost be called a half belt. Since the belt doesn’t wrap around the front of your toddler, it will not interfere with potty training.

One of the biggest advantages of Dapper Snappers, is that they will enable you to either grab pants on sale, or make use of hand-me-downs. These are quite sturdy, and should last through several sizes.

*This review was made possible by MomMadeThat.com

Filed Under: Children, Clothing, Reviews & Giveaways, Shopping Tagged With: clothing, giveaway, reviews

Mommy Brain Moments

February 12, 2010 By Robin 5 Comments

I had never even heard of the “mommy brain” phenomenon, until after the birth of my daughter. A couple months after her birth, my husband started claiming that our daughter had done something to me, and that I used to be smart. Thanks honey, I love you too.

I do have to admit that I have had a few more air headed moments, than in the past. The vast majority of those moments, especially in the first year or so, I would blame on the shear quantity of items required to take a baby anywhere. You have to plan for every contingency, and a mom can’t just assume the diaper bag is all set.

My daughter is now a toddler, but I still have my moments. A few weeks ago, I completely forgot about one of my daughter’s therapist appointments. There was the therapist on my doorstep, for the predetermined appointment… there was me, still in my pajama bottoms and a T-shirt (my hair wasn’t exactly styled for company either). The mommy brain had struck again.

This incident was partially due to the beginning of the year calendar changeover. I didn’t pick up a new date book before year’s end, so I had quite a few January appointments jotted on pieces of easy to misplace paper. Of course if I had one of those handy new smart phones, calendar change over would not have been an issue. Maybe cupid will bring me one for Valentine’s Day.

Filed Under: Misc. Tagged With: Family