Samantha on the Prairie

Before BzzAgent sent the Playskool ShowCam , I doubted my 3-year-old would find it easy to use. When the package arrived and I saw how big the camera was, my first reaction, was "Oh man that's going to be too much for her." I was wrong! My daughter's eyes popped wide open when she saw the camera and she giggled excitedly while I unpacked it and loaded the batteries (note: this camera does not come with batteries). I showed her how to turn it on and take a picture and let her take it from there.     Less than an hour later, my daughter had taken more than 100 photos, many of which were well-posed or super fun action shots. There were many portraits of her favorite stuffed animals in several poses, plus pictures of our dog, and of course me and her dad. Once she learned how to add effects, she enjoyed putting silly eyes on our faces and hats on our heads. There are 50 silly effects to choose from! We first tested out the projection feature in our hallw

For the past three years, results of a past medical test have occasionally been misinterpreted by non-GI physicians. I was aware of this situation (long story) but sometimes, a doctor would say, "you know you have Celiac, right?" (I don't) and to avoid gluten. I've always ignored their advice, knowing it wasn't valid, but with results of a new test pending, I thought it would be interesting to see what gluten free cookies taste like. I picked up Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Cookie Mix from Hyvee  because the picture on the box is really enticing. That cookie on the box looks totally yummy and, honestly, more appealing than typical boxed cookie mix. For those of you who really need to avoid gluten, this mix calls for gluten free vanilla extract. I do not have any gluten free extract and used a Target brand vanilla. I used unsalted butter and a cage free large egg. Like the directions suggest, I mixed this by stirring by hand, not with a mixer. Than

It's now May 2014 and since my original review, I've had a chance to fly out to eSalon and see how orders are processed, learn the right way to apply color, and find out the differences between box color and eSalon color.  I learned a lot and have a totally different perspective now and would definitely recommend giving eSalon a try. When you order from eSalon, be sure to upload a current, well-lit photo of your hair and don't hesitate to ask their color experts for advice. The eSalon team are experts. Let them help you find the right shade and apply color correctly. It's a learning process if you're used to box color products. Last August, I tried  eSalon . At the time, I found the color was fine in that it was even and matched what I had seen online for that shade, but it wasn't really what I was going for. eSalon's customer service was helpful, with a colorist calling to explain how their product differs from what I buy in-store and the risks of g

After a relaxing facial at City Looks , I took home some Aveda Inner Light Mineral Tinted Moisturizer in "03 Sweet Tea." This tinted moisturizer promises to improve moisture up to 25% and keep hydrating for eight hours of wear. I have no idea how to measure a 25% improvement in moisture, but does it make my skin feel awesome? Yes! I actually enjoy putting this on each day. It feels that good. See below, I did what I'd consider a pretty typical application: I know it's not easy to tell from these photos, but while the evened out skin tone is nice, the best part of using the tinted moisturizer is how wonderful my skin feels when it's on. My skin not only looks fresh and youthful, but it feels smooth, moisturized, and soft. A little pressed powder, blush, mascara, and lipstick, and I'm out the door in less than five minutes! It's easy to layer on more or less tinted moisturizer. I've never found that adding more leaves my skin cakey like traditi