Dressing Gingerbelle with Costume Discounters

Disclosure:  We received a free costume to facilitate our honest review.  No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions stated are those of the Shelly's Bits and Pieces family.

Our Shih Tzu, Gingerbelle, is a very important member of our family.  She is always there to give us kisses and snuggles and unconditional love.  Since she was a puppy, we have spoiled and pampered her.  Sometimes, Ginger gets treated more like a human than a canine.  As a matter of fact, we refer to her as a humanine.  Like my teenage human daughter, Kat, Ginger loves to get dressed up!  

We were offered the opportunity to review a costume from Costume Discounters, and we decided that our first review would be an outfit for Gingerbelle.  We looked over the site for a long time before we finally decided on the chef outfit!   The costume is very well made and it is absolutely adorable.  It is easy to put on and was true to size for Ginger.  I was very thankful that it was not tight on her legs or in the body.  This is one costume that she does not mind putting on.

Costume Discounters offers lots of different costumes for infants, toddlers, kids, teens and adults.  They even offer plus size costumes as well as pet costumes, like the one we reviewed.  The site is very easy to navigate and the prices are good too.  You can also order hats, wigs, masks, make-up, props, decorations and other accessories from Costume Discounters.  There are so many choices, you can literally look for hours!

Next time you are looking for a cute costume, why not check out Costume Discounters.  We will certainly be using them for costumes for our annual Halloween party!

Do you ever buy costumes?  What types of costumes do you like?  I'd love to know!

Gorton's #RealSolutions Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: I received product to facilitate my honest review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions stated are those of the Shelly's Bits & Pieces family. The sponsor, Gorton's, is responsible for prize fulfillment.

Coming up with new and exciting dinner options can be a huge pain.  We have been trying to eat better and to eat more seafood.  One easy way of accomplishing that is by eating Gorton's Seafood.   They have new Artisan Recipe Fillets and the taste is amazing.  The Artisan Recipe Fillets come in four delicious varieties; Southwest Tortilla, Southern Style, Lemon and Cracked Peppercorn, and Roasted Garlic and Italian Herb. They provide #RealSolutions for today's busy families!

The Gorton's Artisan Recipe Fillets are real wild-caught Alaska Pollock.  They have no fillers, MSG, artificial colors and no artificial flavors.  The thing that stands out to me is that all varieties are less than 200 calories per fillet!   My entire family loves the Southwest Tortilla most of all.  Chefy goes all out with the Southwest theme and he eats them with a spicy black bean and corn salsa in a flour tortilla shell.  Kat and I generally have a salad or maybe some baked fries with our fillets.  No matter what side we choose, the Artisan Recipe Fillets are the star of every meal.

Would you like to try them for yourself?  Simply enter on the Rafflecopter form below and you could win.  One lucky Shelly's Bits and Pieces reader will win a Gorton's branded cutting board and 2 coupons for FREE Gorton's products.

Don't forget...you can keep up with all the goings on at Gorton's through  Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
You can also print off a coupon to save $1 by clicking HERE!

The Dr. Fischer Dead Sea Minerals Gift Set Mother's Day Review & Giveaway

Disclosure:  I participated in this event on behalf of  Wendy's Bloggers for Fischer Pharmaceuticals Ltd. I received Dr. Fischer products to facilitate my honest review.  No monetary compensation has been received.

Mother's Day is right around the corner (May 11th to be exact) and one of the gifts that my mom and I would love is a spa day.  Neither of us have ever been able to go to an actual spa and get treatments, but we do get a chance to go for an occasional manicure or pedicure.  Recently, I was offered the chance to review Dr. Fischer's Mineral products with the benefits of Dead Sea minerals for Mother's Day!  With these products, we can have a spa like experience right at home.

Fischer Pharmaceuticals was founded in Israel in 1965 by Dr. Eli Fischer, specializing in the fields of ophthalmology and dermatology. Dr. Eli Fischer,
who is now 78,  doesn’t plan to retire any time soon.  Dr. Eli Fischer is a scientist, a successful international industrialist, philanthropist and an international brand.  He is active in interfaith organizations for peace, provides grants for research students, and donates to numerous charities that support women and children.  All Dr. Fischer products are meticulously tested for safety!  They all carry the seals of approval of many prestigious medical organizations worldwide.  The Dr. Fischer slogan is “Tried & Tested.”  It fulfills its promise and provides quality products for all family members.


The Dr. Fischer Dead Sea Minerals Gift Set includes a Mineral Creamy Shower Mousse, Mineral Body Butter, Mineral Hand Cream, and Mineral Shower Scrub.  These items retail for more than $74 but during this special Mother's Day Promotion, the entire gift set will be priced at $47.95  This offer will end on May 12, 2014.  The Dr. Fischer Gift Sets are packed by women with special needs at Bayit Cham-The Centers for Mental Wellness. By buying this gift, you would be supporting this special population of women.

The first product I used was the Creamy Shower Mousse.  It contains Dead Sea Minerals, Olive Oil, Cotton Oil, Almond Oil, Fig Extract, Vitamins E & A, and Omega 3 & 6.  The Creamy Shower Mousse cleanses and replenishes essential moisture to the skin and leaves the skin extra fresh, clean, silky smooth & delightfully fragrant. I really liked the shower mousse.  I usually use bar soap, and it dries my skin.  With this product, my skin felt soft and moisturized!

I also used the Mineral Shower Scrub.  It contains Dead Sea Minerals, Jasmine & Tea Tree Oils, Witch Hazel, and Pro-Vitamin B5.  The Mineral Shower Scrub gently yet deeply cleanses, removes dead cells and revitalizes the skin by replenishing moisture with natural emollient oils and Pro-Vitamin B5.  It leaves the skin extra fresh, clean and fragrant.  After a long winter, my arms and legs were in need of a deep cleansing, so I gave this a try.  I really liked it!  The little scrubby pieces made a difference in how my body felt after my shower.  My legs and arms felt revitalized.  They were not ashy or dry like they had been!!

The next product I used was the Mineral Hand Cream.  It contains Dead Sea Minerals, Pomegranate & Fig Extracts, Glycerin, Witch Hazel, Vitamin E, A & Pro-Vitamin B5, and Allantoin.  It is a professional spa formulation for routine daily hand care at home, providing rapidly absorbed moisturizing care with Pro-Vitamin B5.  It has a unique herbal, mineral and vitamin complex for silky soft skin and it protects the skin from the aging effects of dryness.  I like this hand cream so much more than the item I was previously using.  My hands are not greasy after use, because the cream is absorbed quickly!  LOVE IT!

The last item in this group was the Mineral Body Butter.  It contains Dead Sea Minerals, Vanilla, Patchouli Fragrance, Omega 3 & 6, Shea Butter, Olive Oil,  Almond Oil, Cotton Oil, Linseed Oil, and Vitamins C & E.  The superior spa formulation helps enhance skin elasticity to create radiant, smooth and healthy looking skin by using an anti-oxidants complex for essential protection against free-radicals.  It uses unique herbals, minerals, oils & vitamins complex for silky soft skin and it soothes and relaxes both body and mind while it treats and protects the skin from the aging effects of dryness.  I had never used a body butter before, so I had no idea what to expect.  I was worried that it would be thick and greasy, but it was not.  It went on smoothly and it helped my skin feel smoother.  My ankles and elbows are usually very dry, and they feel much better when I use the Mineral Body Butter!

My mama and grandma are coming up on Mother's Day and they will get to try out these products.  I'm sure they will like them as much as I do.  What are you doing for Mother's Day?  Do you think the Mother in your life would enjoy these products?  Maybe you would!
                      ~~GIVEAWAY~~
You can enter on the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win this awesome Dr. Fischer Dead Sea Minerals Gift Set.   Please note:  One winner per household, email address or home address. If you have won this prize on another blog you are ineligible to win again. Winners must have a U.S.-based address to receive their prize.

Garden Lites Veggie Muffins Review

Disclosure:  We received free Garden Lites Veggie Muffins to facilitate our honest review.  No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions stated are those of the Shelly's Bits & Pieces family!

My family enjoys snacking.  Fresh baked goodies are always at the top of the list.  I am always trying to find ways to make them healthier like using applesauce instead of oil, or using agave nectar instead of sugar.  My family does not always agree with my changes.  Recently, we were sent Garden Lites Veggie Muffins to review.

Garden Lites Veggie Muffins are gluten-free, high in fiber,made of 1/3 fresh vegetables, vegetarian, low in calories and Kosher Parve.  They come individually wrapped, and you get four 2 ounce muffins per box.  They heat up in the microwave in only 35 seconds or can be enjoyed at room temperature which is great for school lunches or on-the-go snacking.  You can find them at stores nationwide in 5 delicious, guilt-free flavors:

Veggie Blueberry Oat Muffins are filling and flavorful due to the combination of oats and sweet blueberries.
Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Veggie Muffins are the perfect blend of delicious vegetables, sweet banana and chocolate chips.
Zucchini Chocolate Veggie Muffins are made with fresh veggies and the finest chocolate.
Carrot Berry Veggie Muffins are made with fresh veggies and three different berries.
Golden Corn Veggie Muffins are chock-full of sweet corn every corn muffin lover will enjoy.

Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip

I surprised my family by having the Veggie Blueberry Oat Muffins ready when they arrived home from school and work.  I did not even have time to get a photo or even get a bite!   Chefy and Kat gobbled the muffins up in no time!  They had no idea that the first ingredient in these muffins was vegetables!!  We have now tried all of the muffins.  Kat loved the Zucchini Chocolate ones and Chefy's favorite is the Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip!  I have always been a huge lover of corn muffins, and Garden Lites Corn Muffins are my new favorite!!

Garden Lites Corn Muffins

You can connect with Garden Lites via their website, Pinterest, Facebook and on Twitter.

Tickety Toc – Spring Chicks Time on DVD Review and Giveaway

Disclosure:  We received a copy of this DVD to facilitate our honest review.  No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions stated are those of the Shelly's Bits and Pieces family.

Princess Pickle and Princess Pistol are big fans of Tickety Toc.  They love all the fun adventures that Tommy and Tallulah go on, and they love playing with the Tickety Toc toys too.  The new Tickety Toc, Spring Chicks Time DVD is out and the girls were thrilled to view it!

Synopsis: 
In “Spring Chicks Time” ($14.98), the adorable duo, Tommy and Tallulah, celebrate the season with a town picnic, a nature hike and a kite-flying contest! When the mischievousSpring Chicks fly off in one of the kites, the town must save them just in the nick of chimetime! In these fair-weather and fun-packed episodes, the Tickety Town team, along with preschool viewers, will learn the importance of teamwork, community and social responsibility.

Episodes include:
·         “Spring Chicks Time”
·         “Nature Trail Time”
·         “Picnic Time”
·         “Watermelon Time”
·         “Veggie Time”
·         “Bug Time”

To help celebrate the release of “Spring Chicks Time,” Anchor Bay has scooped-up an exciting national cross-promotion with Joy Cone. From April 1 through December 31, for $2.50 shipping & handling, consumers who purchase a Joy Cone product and any Tickety Toc DVD can receive two free Tickety Toc books from Scholastic. Color box art from the “Spring Chicks Time” DVD will be featured on 1 million boxes of Joy Cone product as part of the “tick tocktastic” promotion.

Pickle and Pistol really liked the kite flying contest and were happy to design their own kites!  Your kids can design their own kites too if you print the activity sheet for them!  Just Print and Color!

~~GIVEAWAY~~
One lucky Shelly's Bits and Pieces reader will win the Tickety Toc Spring Chicks Time DVD and also a coupon for a FREE box of Joy Ice Cream Cones!  Simply enter on the rafflecopter form below!

MIKE AND IKE® and HOT TAMALES® Easter Candy Review

Disclosure:  Free product was received to facilitate our honest review.  No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions stated are those of the Shelly's Bits & Pieces family.

Easter is just around the corner and it is time to start getting Easter baskets together.  We love jelly beans and chewy snacks around here!  When we think about Easter goodies, jelly beans are always on the list.  Recently, we had the chance to review some Mike and Ike jelly beans, Easter treats, and Hot Tamales jelly beans.  We love Mike and Ike candies!  Chefy is addicted to the Hot Tamales and Kat and I love the fruit flavor Mike and Ikes.

The Mike and Ike Easter treats come in a 5 oz box and we have found them for about $1.00/box.  They have 5 delicious flavors such as Pineapple Banana, Strawberry, Grape, Cherry and Lemon Lime.  The Mike and Ike jelly beans are available in assorted fruits and Tangy Twister, and they also have Hot Tamales Cinnamon jelly beans.  They come in a 14 oz bag for between $2.50-$3.00.   

We filled plastic eggs with the jelly beans and we even baked some cookies with Mike and Ike Easter treats in them!  YUM!  Chefy ate the entire bag of Hot Tamales jelly beans within 2 days!  Kat has devoured most of the assorted fruit jelly beans, and the Tangy Twister jelly beans are in hiding because they are mine.  I love their tang!  One thing we have all noted about these jelly beans is that they are not as hard as some other brands we have tried.  Mike and Ike jelly beans are our new favorites!  

While you are out picking up goodies for your Easter baskets, look for Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales!

Purex No Sort Review and Giveaway

Disclosure:  I am a Purex Insider.  I received free product to facilitate my honest review.  No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions are those of the Shelly's Bits & Pieces family!

Laundry has never been one of my favorite household chores.  It can be such a pain having to sort all the dirty laundry and wash multiple loads.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed and Chefy will do the laundry.  My problems occur when Chefy and Kat decide to do it quickly.  I have had an entire load of white clothes turned pink because they tossed a red wash cloth into the washer.  BUT, those times are far behind us now!

Purex has made doing laundry easier than ever with their new NO SORT detergent!!  No more sorting laundry and no more bleeding stains!   You can stop color bleeding accidents with Purex No Sort for Colors detergent!

NEW Purex® No Sort® for Colors detergent is the latest laundry innovation from the Purex® brand designed to simplify your laundry routine. Purex® No Sort® for Colors detergent features a breakthrough Anti-Color-Transfer Technology™ which traps loose dyes in the wash and reduces color bleeding accidents in your mixed color loads leaving your clothes bright and clean.  

I gave the no sort a try when I received it and I was very excited that nothing was ruined!  No problems with my whites....even with my daughter's jeans in the laundry!  WOOHOO!!  I'm not telling you to throw your new black jeans in with your white blouses.  Purex No Sort is innovative, not a miracle detergent.  Colors should be washed 5 times before they are thrown in with other clothes!!

Right now, Purex has a giveaway going on where you can enter for your chance to WIN $1,000 & a year’s supply of this game-changing NEW detergent, so you can avoid extra laundry loads.  One hundred 2nd place winners will receive a coupon for a free bottle of new Purex No Sort for Colors detergent!  You can enter HERE! 

Two lucky Shelly's Bits and Pieces readers will win a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex No Sort!  Simply enter on the rafflecopter form below and that winner could be you!

The Nut Job on DVD and Blu-Ray April 15th! Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: Free products were received to facilitate an honest blog post. All opinions expressed are those of the Shelly's Bits and Pieces Family. No monetary compensation was received.

April 15th might be known as Tax Day, but this year something good is coming! The Nut Job is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray!!  In support of Universal Home Entertainment’s release of The Nut Job, here are some amazing nut facts that are sure to blow your mind.
• It takes about 540 peanuts to make one 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
• Peanuts aren’t actually nuts at all, they are a type of pea which grows underground.
• In medieval times, walnuts were believed to cure headaches because of their brain-like appearance.
• California is the world leader in almond production, with over 110,000 acres of almond trees.
• Unshelled nuts stay fresh longer than shelled ones.
• Cashew shells are poisonous, as they contain a deadly chemical known as urushiol – the same chemical found in poison ivy.
• In ancient Rome, newlyweds were showered in almonds as a symbol of fertility.
• October 22nd is National Nut Day in the U.S.

 Need more information about The Nut Job? Here we go...
Be prepared for one squirrelly adventure in the action-packed comedy, The Nut Job, starring Will Arnett (Despicable Me, Ratatouille) as Surly, a mischievous squirrel on a mission to prove himself. The Nut Job comes to Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray Combo Pack including Blu-ray, DVD, & DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet as well as On Demand on April 15, 2014, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 

Surly (Arnett) is a mischievous squirrel with a mission: to find the tastiest nuts for winter. When he discovers a whole store filled with his favorite food, he plans a heist of nutrageous proportions. But the place turns out to be owned by ruthless bank robbers so it’s up to Surly and his furry friends to stop the nearby bank heist and save the town.  

Showcasing an all-star cast including Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, Whole Lotta Love), Liam Neeson (Non-Stop, The Grey), Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up, The Ugly Truth), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Turbo), Jeff Dunham (Arguing With Myself, Spark of Insanity) and Gabriel Iglesias (Magic Mike, Hot & Fluffy), The Nut Job will prove “Enormously Entertaining” for the whole family (Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru)!

The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a Blu-ray, DVD and DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet.  
• Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound. 
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away. 
• DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download movies to watch on iPad®, iPhone®, Android™, smart TVs, connected Blu-ray players, game consoles, and more.
EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY 3D & BLU-RAY:
• DELETED SCENES - Check out Surly, Grayson and the gang in scenes removed from the final version of the movie.
• STORYBOARDS - Watch key scenes from the film brought to life from the original sketches.
• THE GREAT NUT HEIST - Will Arnett, the voice of Surly the squirrel, discusses the great caper story at the heart of the film.
• DANCE-OFF END CREDITS - Surly joins his furry friends and a very special guest for this show-stopping number.
BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY 3D, BLU-RAY & DVD:
• ANIMATED SHORTS – 
o SURELY SQUIRREL - Meet Surly for the very first time in the award-winning animated short that started it all.
o NUTS & ROBBERS - Surly and Grayson stumble upon a bank heist gone wrong in NUTS & ROBBERS – created by ToonBox Entertainment as a teaser for THE NUT JOB.

Our thoughts:
We thought the movie was really funny.  My hubby, daughter and I thought the entire premise of the movie was good, and it did hold our interest.  The characters are really fun and the movie is full of bright colors!  We have recommended it to lots of people already and we highly recommend it to our readers!

You can also print off an activity sheet or coloring page for your kids!

~GIVEAWAY~

You can win your own copy of The Nut Job by simply entering on the rafflecopter form below!