The sky is blue, birds are chirping, and that can only mean one thing…it’s time to shop!

Because I believe in full disclosure, I will tell you that none of the following were provided by companies or sponsors and I am not being paid for my opinions on these items. I should also be clear and state that I am not above being paid for said items. Just sayin’.

Without further ado, here is my list of favorite things for spring!

1. Corona Light

Okay, I like this all year through, but on a sunny day when the mercury hits 72 degrees, this beer starts yelling for me to come get it out of the refrigerator. It’s true. It screams, even.

2. Softball

My daughter’s favorite sport and my favorite to watch, maybe because we sometimes take a cooler (see #1). The only other sport she plays now is golf, which is also fun as long as I have a cart (see #1 again).

3. Flip-Flops

I have more flip-flops than you can imagine. I have flip-flop issues. Also, handbags. And, Corona Light.

New Balance Flip Flops from Famous Footwear

4. Flameless Candles

I love sitting outside amidst candlelight, but the wind doesn’t always cooperate. These look just like the real thing, but they run on batteries. Ha ha! Take that, wind!

Gerson Company Candles from Amazon.com

5. Portable Fire Pit

We have two of these and they both came with removable bowls that can be used for ice, so you can either use it as a firepit (s’mores!) or as a place to ice down your drinks (see #1).

Odesa Firepit from Target

6. The Dhara Dress from Athleta

Wear it with aforementioned flip-flops, flats or Chuck Taylors, a cardigan or a jean jacket. This dress is soft, comfy, flattering and versatile. Need I say more? No, I need not.

7. Schick Quattro for Men Razor

First of all, yes, it’s for men. Men’s razors work better than women’s and when both sexes want to accomplish the same thing, I don’t understand why they see fit to market them differently. Bygones. I use this razor every single day and never get a nick. If you’re going to wear shorts or capris, you’re going to have to shave, and please…if you’re going to wear flip-flops, don’t forget the toe hair. There, I said it.

8. Blue, sparkly nails

I’m on a blue kick and a sparkly kick so this is the best of both worlds. With a blue base coat and this Revlon polish on top, my nails look like the color of the sky and they shine like the sun. Also, who likes clichés? *raises hand*

9. The ChickCAN Rack

Have you ever had beer-can chicken? It melts in your mouth and it’s as easy as drinking half of a beer (What? You have to!), sticking what’s left of it in this rack, then sitting a whole chicken on top. Rub in some seasonings, put it on your grill and you have a main dish that’s delicious. Plus, whole chickens are more inexpensive than buying breasts alone and you get more meat. Bonus!

Barbour ChickCAN Rack.

10. Cadbury Creme Eggs

If it weren’t for my doctor, I would eat my weight in these every spring. *shakes fist at milk chocolate*

Cadbury Creme Egg from Candy.com

Thanks a lot, high cholesterol. Thanks a lot.

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As a busy mom, with two kids, two dogs and two jobs, I am always wishing there were more hours in a day.  I can’t tell you how often I climb into bed late, already thinking about how I should get up early because my “to do” list is so long.  And, if I’m not thinking about it then, I start thinking about it when I wake up over and over during the night.

I’m not trying to solve world peace here, I’m just trying to make sure there are bowls clean so that the kids can eat cereal before school, or that I’ve made it to the grocery store and that they have the cereal to eat.  I wish for more hours because my daughter’s softball uniform is filthy and she has a game the next day, or because no one in the house has any clean underwear.

That last sentence?  Well, that’s why I wept when I read about Samsung’s Super-Capacity Powerfoam Washer and their Biggest Capacity Dryer.  I’m not kidding. Can you imagine what being able to wash 28 bath towels IN ONE LOAD would mean to a person like me?  It would mean so much.  So very much.

My current washer and dryer are the first washer and dryer I ever bought…and I just turned 40.  They are older than my kids, older than my marriage and older than the dirt I try to get out of my son’s pants.

Oh, they still work okay…if it weren’t for the LOUD noises they make and for the fact that it takes me three days to do a week’s worth of laundry.  My washer had the largest capacity for sale in 1995, but it still can’t fit my thin, king-size quilt.  That means I get to make special trips to the laundromat so I can wash bedding.  Guess how much time that takes.  It takes a lot.

So, yeah, I may have cried a little out of pure want and desire.  The idea that it’s even possible to wash and dry so many clothes at once and not be a slave to my basement steps…sigh.

It’s not just the large capacity, but also the Steam Cycle on the Powerfoam Washer that helps to rid your clothes of stubborn stains.  No pre-treating!  Holla!

And, the dream of a front-load dryer has a Steam Refresh setting to freshen clothes AND a Steam Wrinkle Away setting to reduce ironing!  If you’re not weeping yet, then you don’t have kids who wear uniforms to school.  I have an intimate relationship with my iron.  Unfortunately.

The capabilities of this high-powered pair astound me.  They make me long for the day when I can haul my 16 year old washer and dryer to the curb.

They also got me thinking about what I wish other appliances could do to make my life easier.

I mean, if the Samsung Super-Capacity Powerfoam Washer can wash 28 bath towels, why can’t my refrigerator make me dinner?

Look, I’m going to admit it.  Maybe I watched too many episodes of The Jetsons, but I have always wanted a refrigerator that has a secret, side door where I can store a baking dish with a casserole, chicken, lasagna…or maybe brownies.  Then I could set a timer and the compartment would go from chilling the food to cooking it, convection-oven style.

I think it would be great to come home and not have to worry about getting dinner in the oven.  There are only so many things you can make in a Crock Pot (see brownies, above paragraph).

Really, if Samsung has created this powerful washer and dryer, the possibilities are limitless.  I just know it.

Someday I won’t have to lose sleep because my to-do list is so long.  Someday.

Now, tell me what your time-saving, dream appliance would do and you can be entered to win a Best Buy giftcard for $100.00 courtesy of the folks at BlogHer!  Here’s how:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment telling me what your time-saving, dream appliance would do

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

For other chances to win, visit the Promotions & Prizes section

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older and runs from 6/8/11 – 6/30/11.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Good luck!

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When I was 12 years old, my oldest sister told me that I should start taking care of my skin.  I had been washing my face with soap and trying my best to keep it clean, but puberty had other ideas for my face.  Soap didn’t quite cut it.

Ever since then, there has been a fine line between clean skin and breakouts for me.  About a year ago, after 28 years of trying to figure out what works, I finally found a face soap I love.  Only, it’s wasn’t a face soap, it’s was a body scrub, and it’s not cheap either.  Nevertheless, it worked pretty well with my skin type and, at close to 40 years old, I was finally settled on using this product for the foreseeable future.

About a month ago, I was contacted by Sibu Beauty. Founded by a philanthropist and the director of a humanitarian organization, Sibu Beauty products are made from the Sea Buckthorn Berry; a sustainable resource, rich in antioxidants and vitamin-packed.  They asked if I wanted to review their facial cream or their facial cleanser.  I told them that I would be happy to check out their cream, but that I was pretty set in my cleanser ways.

But, a funny thing happened on the way to delivering my product.  Someone sent me the wrong thing.  Instead of the cream, I received the Balancing Facial Cleanser and despite being certain that I would never use another face soap, I gave it a try.

Then something else funny happened.  I liked it.  It’s fine granules exfoliate my skin just as well as my pricey mall brand scrub and because this is a product meant for the face, it’s gentler on my skin.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s $7.00 cheaper?

Yeah, guess who’s set in whole new ways?

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April is a scary month.

Oh, sorry…let me clarify.  April is a scary month for my husband when he sees our bills.  April is when I redecorate.

When the sun finally comes back to Ohio after months of teasing us with the whole, I’ll come out, but only for a minute once a week thing, I get the urge to buy new towels.  I blame the lack of vitamin D.

But, it’s not just new towels.  I start refinishing furniture and painting walls, which leads to needing new rugs, then new pictures, and oh my, those candles don’t even match anymore!

I have lugged an armoire up the stairs and a treadmill down them.  My king-sized bed has been bounced around like a ball.  I hang blinds, buy new pillows and change cabinet hardware.  I pack stuff into boxes, store it in the basement, then revisit the boxes I packed the year before.  If the items fit into my new scheme, I pull them out.  If they don’t, then I try again next year.

Come April, changing things around becomes the only thing I think about.  If only it would translate to my eating habits and exercise routine because I’m pretty sure that wearing shorts would make me happier than having a whitewashed coffee table.

Then I wouldn’t scare my husband with the bills or when I get ready for bed.

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