Metropolis Soap Company

Metropolis Soap Co sent me over one of their fabulous bars of handmade vegan soap for review
 The one I got was Mint, Lavender ad Citrus. This is not a fragrance blend that I had heard of before, but I find it delightful. It has a refreshing citrusy scent. I love that it has lavender as well since lavender is so good for your skin. Lathers very well and gets you really clean. No residue but the fragrance rests lightly on your skin after showering. I like that.

Description from Metropolis Soap Co.

Orange is Astringent
Lavender soothes
Rose Clay is gentle and good for sensitive skin

About Metropolis Soap Co.

Metropolis soap comes from simple ingredients. First we select 100% vegan oils like vitamin-rich coconut oil, luxurious sunflower oil, and moisturizing shea butter, which all are a part of our time-tested recipe.  We choose our oils for their skin-loving properties, as well as their ability to create a hard, durable soap that will last. Next the oils are mixed with a carefully measured amount of distilled water and sodium hydroxide, which causes the chemical reaction that makes soap! The oils and water are blended together and once the ingredients have officially made soap we add our own specially formulated essential oil blends. These blends are created for their aromatherapy properties as much as their scent abilities! The soap batter is then poured into our handmade wooden molds and colored with mica powder. After 36 hours the soap logs are released from their molds so that we can cut each bar by hand and set them on our curing racks. After a 4-6 week cure process we test each batch to ensure quality and safety (we have a lot of soap in our home!). Once the batch is proven up to our standards, we release it for sale.

Metropolis Soap Co. is not only vegan-friendly, but eco-conscious, too! Our products contain no palm oil, which contributes to deforestation and causes many orang utans to become homeless! Metropolis Soap Co. takes a strong stand against animal cruelty. Our products are NEVER tested on animals…just Mr. Metropolis! We are proud to be certified Cruelty-Free by P.E.T.A.

Beautiful Handmade Soaps

Metropolis Soap Co. sells products in all of these great categories:

• Shea Butter Soaps
• Lip Balm
• Gifts
• Herbal Spa Soaks
• Specials

Want to keep up with all things Metropolis Soap Co? You can like em on Facebook, follow em on Twitter, check out their blog and sign up for their newsletter.

Ready to buy? Head on over to Metropolis Soap Co and get ya some of this great soap or some of their other wonderful products. You can even check out their list of retail locations to see if Metropolis Soap is available near you.

Waterford Press Texas Pocket Guides

  Waterford Press sent me over a selection of their really cool pocket guides for review. Since this is Texas Kitchen naturally I received four guides about Texas. I love love love these guides.

Check em out:

Texas Birds

 An Introduction to Familiar Species

Author: James Kavanagh
Illustrations: Raymond Leung

Texas Birds is the perfect pocket-sized, folding guide for the bird lover and nature enthusiast. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species and includes a map featuring prominent state-wide birding hotspots. Laminated for durability, this handy guide is a great source of portable information and ideal for field use by novices and experts alike.

 Texas Birds is a bird watchers dream. Pocket size and loaded with info. The detail in the pics is excellent.Not only do you get to figure out what bird you are looking at by illustration, it also tells you the name, scientific name, size and a snippet about most of the birds.

Texas Butterflies & Moths

An Introduction to Familiar Species

Author: James Kavanagh
Illustrations: Raymond Leung

Texas Butterflies and Moths is the perfect pocket-sized, folding guide for the nature enthusiast. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 70 familiar species of butterflies and moths. 

If y'all are like me. You see a really pretty butterfly or moth you have never seen before and you want to learn more about it. Where to start? What butterfly is it anyway? With Waterford s guide you can see exactly which butterfly or moth yours is. The beautiful full color illustrations show not only butterflies and moths but caterpillars and pupae as well. How cool

Texas Wildlife

An Introduction to Familiar Species

Author: James Kavanagh
Illustrations: Raymond Leung

Texas Wildlife is the perfect pocket-sized, folding guide for the nature enthusiast. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and butterflies, fishes and includes a map featuring prominent state-wide wildlife sanctuaries. 

 This one is super cool. I actually found several species of animals in the guide that I have not seen before. Mom and I were coming from town the other day and saw and animal crossing the highway that we could not identify. She thought it was a nutria I was not driving so I got a better look at it. I decided it was a raccoon that had a serious defect (or had maybe escaped a nuclear facility lol) I actually got the Waterford guides in the mail the next day and we were able to see it was actually a white-nosed coati. This is an animal I had not been aware of before. I guess you never do stop learning. I can see these guides are going to be super useful.

Texas Trees & Wildflowers

An Introduction to Familiar Species

Author: James Kavanagh
Illustrations: Raymond Leung

Texas Trees and Wildflowers is the perfect pocket-sized, folding guide to familiar trees, shrubs and wildflowers. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species and includes a map featuring prominent state-wide botanical sanctuaries. 

 Ever wanted to know what kind of tree is so pretty in your neighbor's yard? Now you can. This guide shows the shape of the tree the seeds, flowers and leaves of lots of Texas trees. The flower section shows the entire plant with the bloom. Flowers are categorized by color. Beautifully illustrated as well. 

 Waterford press sells guides in so many categories:

Product Types

Pocket Naturalist® Guides

Pocket Traveller® Guides

Pocket Tutor^® Guides

DuraGuides™

Nature Activity Books

Field Guides

New Releases -September 2011

Browse

By Location

All Titles By Subject

Want to keep up with all tings Waterford Press? You can like em on Facebook 

or you can sign up for the Waterford Activity Zone to play and learn. They have

hundreds of free games and activities suitable for all ages.

Ready to buy? Head on over to Waterford Press and get you some of the awesome pocket guides. They even have a store locator to find guides near you.

Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids system – GLASS CONTAINERS

neatly nest for compact storage

Always on the hunt for the perfect containers for the fridge? I know I am. Rubbermaid sent me their  Easy Find Lids system – GLASS CONTAINERS for review and we put em to the test.

  This convenient eight piece set is oven safe and leak proof. You can even put em in the microwave with the lids lightly on to allow for ventilation without the spattering mess all over your microwave. I hate cleaning the microwave.

 I love that they come in many sizes. They are perfect for left overs, taking your lunch and for single people cooking for themselves. These little wonders are also dishwasher and freezer safe.

  The gaskets pop right out of the lids for super easy thorough cleaning... dry  pop em back in and your ready to use em again.

We really like the system and highly recommend it for everyone.

 Check out this video showing em off:

Description from website:

Glass with Easy Find Lids

Now, you can enjoy the organization benefits of the Easy Find Lids system with the versatility of glass. Like other Easy Find Lids products, Rubbermaid Glass containers have lids and bases that neatly nest for compact storage. Lids snap to bases and other lids to make finding the right lid a breeze. Glass bases are designed to stack neatly, which saves space and prevents them from getting stuck together. Rubbermaid glass containers are also ideal for reheating foods in the microwave and the glass bases are oven safe up to 425°F. Plus, a built-in gasket creates a leak-proof seal.

glass bases are oven safe up to 425°F

 Check out these great product categories also available from Rubbermaid:

	Beverage
	Cleaning
	Configurations® Customizable Closet Kits
	Coolers & Jugs
	Deck Boxes & Patio Benches
	Food Storage Containers

	Garage Organization
	Kitchen
	Non-Adjustable Closet Kits
	Outdoor Sheds
	Storage Boxes

stack neatly in fridge

Want to keep up with all things Rubbermaid? You can follow em on Twitter, like em on Facebook, check out their blog and join the Rubbermaid Club.

perfect for entertainin

Ready to buy? Head on over to Rubbermaid and get yourself or a friend some of Rubbermaid's great products. They have quite a selection. Make sure to check out the Rubbermaid Promotions and Special Offers page. The Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid system is also available at Wal-Mart, Target and grocery stores nationwide.

 

                 

Plasma Car

Stylish Looking

We were sent a Plasma Car from PlaSmart for review on Texas Kitchen. Even with having children and grandchildren, I had never heard of Plasma Car until I saw it on a review blog. I have to say it is pretty cool.

  Now you will have to do a little assembly with this fun toy.. Fortunately there are illustrated instructions that show you just how it's done. I love it when companies include illustrations.

  You'll need a couple of tools to get this baby ready for the road. Plasma Car includes the hex key for tightening on the steering wheel. The only other tools you will need are a 17mm socket wrench and a rubber mallet (regular hammer will do if you can't find a rubber one, just be sure to use a buffer between it and the car so you don't damage your Plasma car)

Easy Assembly

 One thing I think is fabulous about the Plasma Car is that it holds up to 220 pounds. This means not only can your littlest one play, but the older kids can take turns too. Plasma Car is made of high quality materials and is quite sturdy. The kids are having a blast riding the Plasma Car. Might have to go out and get another one so they can race. Even the older kids are enjoying it. I have to admit I gave it a whirl around the dining table.

 It actually corners really well and glides through smaller spaces so indoor play is doable. I was also pleased that it didn't leave marks on my floor from everyone riding around. A note: Plasma Car is not recommended for use on hardwood or laminate flooring.

Plasma Car is quite stylish as children's toys go. The one I received is red and black. Really cool since those happen to be our school's colors. Plasma Car is available in 5 different bright color options.

 Want to keep up with all things Plasma Car? You can like em on Facebook and follow em on Twitter.

Ready to buy? You can head on over to the Plasma Car website and get ya a whole garage full of these classy cars. They also have a store locator to find a Plasma Car dealer near you.

DragonFly Soap

Dragonfly Soaps sent me two of their handcrafted natural soaps from the Mysterious and Earthy Scent line.

 One Summer Night Soap  has a seductive, alluring almost intoxicating scent.. I absolutely love this one.Sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg and almond blend in the perfect way. This is one of those fragrances that smells good on men as well as women.

One Summer Night Soap

Capture the magic of an enchanted summer night with this richly scented shea butter soap.

Complex ingredients, expertly blended into a bar soap with electrifying zing!
Product Ingredients
Saponified oils of olive, coconut, palm and shea butter. Sandalwood and vanilla fragrance. Patchouli, almond and nutmeg essential oils. Authentic amber oil and amber resin.

About Our One Summer Night Shea Butter Soap
This soap was originally created for an end-of-summer family wedding. The bars were custom cut to fit perfectly inside of favor boxes and wrapped with grosgrain ribbon in the couple's colors, finished with a medallion seal bearing the newlyweds' initials. Each bar of soap was carefully wrapped and labeled with the date and a note of thanks for sharing so special a day with our family. The energizing scent of One Summer Night was so well received at the wedding, we decided to offer it to customers and since then, it has become a best seller. With such a romantic origin, this soap may be love at first sight for you,too!                                                                                                                                                        

Sage adds a fresh scent to Sage and Clay Soap . You can still smell a hint of the natural clays. Excellent for washing the face.
Soaps are so natural the coloring and fragrance come only from the clays and essential oils.

Sage and Clay Soap

Like a seaside holiday for the skin, our Sage and Clay shea butter soap offers sublime repose to the washer.

Product Ingredients
Saponified oils of olive, coconut, palm and shea butter. Also contains kaolin clay, sea clay, bentonite clay, and sage essential oil.

About Our Sage and Clay Shea Butter Soap
This exquisite sage green bar soap has been expertly blended from ingredients reputed for their helpful dermatologic qualities. Natural sage essential oil makes our Sage and Clay soap especially calming. For millennia, Native Americans have used varieties of sage for purification purposes and elsewhere in the world, this herb has been revered for its unique, clean fragrance and the savory touch it adds to cuisine. This is a very natural, mineral-rich choice for your every day bar soap and makes a loving gift for someone special who is currently in need of a pick-me-up and some peace-of-mind.


Ready to buy? Head on over to DragonFly Soaps and get ya some of these great soaps.

DragonFly Soaps comes in these great varieties:

Unscented
Workhorse
Lavender and Flowers
Earthy and Mysterious
Almost Edibles

"Who Is Simon Miller?" Movie

 "Who is Simon Miller" is another great made for tv movie from Wal-Mart and P& G. I have begun to look forward to Family Movie Nights. This movie is a good example why. Great for the entire family. "Who is Simon Miller" is beautifully filmed, is excellently photographed, well produced.. This is an action packed movie from beginning to end. It will keep you on the edge of your seat with all the plot twists .
I love this movie. Make sure y'all tune in to NBC and Wal-Mart and P&G's Family Movie Night August 6th at 8/7c.

Who Is Simon Miller: Official Trailer

There was only one thing they didn't know about their father... Everything.
Tune in to Who Is Simon Miller? on NBC, August 6th at 8/7c.

"Who Is Simon Miller?" Synopsis:

DVD Coming Soon

When unassuming geoligist Simon Miller mysteriously disappears one night, the Miller family is thrown into a desperate search to find him. Simon's wife Meredith and their two kids, Sarah, 18 and Kevin, 15 frantically search Simon's office for information. When they find a stash of passports, all with Simon's picture but each with a different alias, they realize that their father has been keeping more than a few secrets. Who is Simon Miller? And what has he gotten himself - and his family - into? Not sure they can even trust the dad they thought they knew, the Millers embark on an international mission to get him back. It's a heart-pounding adventure that tests the limits to which families will fight for each other.

Want to keep up with all things Family Movie Night? You can like them on Facebook follow em on Twitter and Check out their official webpage.

GourmetGiftBaskets.com

 I have to admit I have been wanting to review GourmetGiftBaskets.com for awhile. When they said yes I was pretty excited, after all they have the most amazing gift baskets. They sent me their Snack Gift Basket - Classic  for review. Everyone in the house was delighted when it arrived.


 This baby comes loaded with some of the most amazing snacks I have ever tasted. Nothing disappointed. Everything tasted amazing. GourmetGiftBaskets.com takes great pride in adding only the highest quality products to their gift baskets. This allows you to be completely confident that your gift basket recipient will be delighted with your gift no matter which of the many styles of gift baskets you choose.



What you will find inside Snack Gift Basket - Classic  :

Descriptions in italics are from GourmetGiftBaskets.com. 
 
Dipping Pretzels by East Shore Specialty Foods - 6 oz. - East shore is known for their plump and salts pretzel sticks which are meant for dipping.

These are excellent Pretzels . Perfectly shaped for dipping. They are an amazing accompaniment for...

· Raspberry Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip by Robert Rothschild Farm - 7.8 oz. - This Robert Rothschild pretzel dip is a delicious blend of juicy raspberries, clover honey and tangy mustard. Not only does it have a distinctive flavor, but it's also all natural. Kosher and gluten free.

Creamy, sweet and tangy dip with whole mustard seeds. Super Yummy. Hint of smoky flavor

· Key Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies by Brent & Sam's - 7 oz. - Made from scratch, these cookies have a crunchy style and are tangy yet sweet to the taste. The key lime flavor is perfectly balanced out by the sweetness of the white chocolate chips.


Nice light cookie. White chocolate chunks blend beautifully with the key lime. Just the right amount of sweet. Out of this world flavor.




· Almond Pecan-dy Crunch by Morley Candy Makers - 9.25 oz. - This gourmet popcorn by Morley Candy Makers is renowned for being one of the best. With whole almonds and pecans, the irresistible buttery toffee evenly coats every bite.

Fun Buttery candied popcorn with these amazing pecans and almonds that are toasted perfectly and coated with a flavor that rocks your taste buds.





· Salted Peanuts in Box by Feridie's - 7 oz. - Feridie's uses only the best of Virginia's peanuts, the top 2% of the crop each year. Once picked, they are roasted in pure peanut oil and salted to perfection.

These are large delicious peanuts. Not to salty just enough Very Very Good


· Petite Cheese Biscuits by Salem Baking Co. - 1.5 oz. - This beautiful tin is filled with savory, bite-sized biscuits that are baked with finely milled wheat flour and extra-sharp aged cheddar cheese. They are accented with the delicate crunch of toasted rice and a hint of cayenne and paprika.

Smell really awesome. The flavor matches the smell. You can taste all the flavors. I love these.


· Metropolitan Trail Mix by GourmetGiftBaskets.com - 4 oz. - Our metropolitan mix is all natural and contains exotic fruit like papaya and pineapples as well as raisins, cranberries and bananas. It also has whole peanuts, almonds and pepitas.  It's a natural and delicious snack!

Lovely mix of dried fruits and nuts. Pineapple is sweet, raisins are plump, papaya is delicious. Very good mix.

· Buttered Peanut Crunch by Old Dominion Peanut Company - 10 oz. - These peanut squares by Old Dominion can be found in all of our snack gift basket made with a bit of brown sugar and only the freshest grade AA butter. These ingredients combined with lightly salted peanuts makes for a scrumptious and crunchy treat.

Crunchy little squares of heaven. Lightly roasted peanuts are held together by a delightful concoction of goodness


· Peanut Roll by Dillon Candy Co. - 3 oz. - Dillion Candy starts their roll with a fluffy nougat center which is covered by a distinct layer of caramel and is then rolled in lightly salted peanuts. This amalgam of texture and flavors makes for the most delectable of peanut rolls.

The nougat is fluffy and sweet but not overpowering. Hint of vanilla. Salt on the peanuts is just right as well.

· Coconut Bar by Oskri Organics - 2.2 oz. - This bar is 100% organic made of only fresh coconut and rice syrup. It has a delicious crunch and is sure to satisfy any coconut lover; that's why you'll find it in our gourmet snack foods baskets.

 This Vegan Delight smells fantastic and tastes even better.

 
Description of Snack Gift Basket - Classic from website:

Our best-selling snack gift basket comes with a host of award-winning gourmet snack foods that are sure to satisfy any taste bud! Designed to be perfect for one but enough for a group, all the items inside are share-friendly and utterly delicious! They'll love the raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip, gourmet dipping pretzels, key lime white chocolate chip cookies, almond pecan crunch, peanuts, trail mix, buttered pecan crunch, peanut roll, organic coconut bar and cheese biscuits! Our snack gift baskets are the perfect gift for any occasion and are the safest bet for when you are not sure what to send! Don't take a chance, send this snack gift basket from GourmetGiftBaskets.com. Your snacks basket will arrive on time and we guarantee they'll love it!

GourmetGiftBaskets.com sells gift baskets in a variety of styles including:

• • Italian
• • Beer *NEW*
• • Snack
• • Tea & Cookies
• • Candy
• • Sweets
• • Breakfast
• • Fruit Baskets
• • Chocolate
• • Fruit Towers
• • Grilling & BBQ
• • Seafood
• • Healthy
• • Tex-Mex
• • Wine
• • French/Paris

And Soo Many More...

Want to keep up with all things GourmetGiftBaskets.com? You can like em on Facebook, follow em on Twitter and check out their blog, The Blog Basket.

Ready to Buy? Head on over to GourmetGiftBaskets.com and get yourself or someone you care about or just really want to impress a gift basket. You can even order their GourmetGiftBaskets.com catalog here.

Chef Locke - Tailgatingplanks.com

 I got  to try out some really awesome products from Chef Locke and Tailgatingplanks.com These guys sell some great products for tailgating and grilling.

Have y'all ever had beer can chicken? The Beer Butt Chicken Plank makes it super easy to make this delicious style of bird. You just put your beer can into the hole in the middle of the plank making sure at least half of it is above the wood line. Soak the wood until it swells enough to make the can fit tight (60 to 90 minutes). In the meantime season your bird. When your pit is ready pop open the beer can. slide the raw, seasoned chicken over the can Put the plank on the pit and cook until done. The beer makes the chicken moist and delicious. The plank makes it all possible and pumps up the flavor. Complete instructions for beer can chicken come with you Beer Butt Chicken Plank.

Beer Can Chicken Plank

The only cedar plank of it’s kind anywhere.

Unique design especially for those beer-butt chicken aficionados.

Patented technology that’s “GO GREEN”

Keeps the fat and juices from igniting over hot coals or gas flames.

Great for tailgating, backyard barbecues, office picnics.

A perfect gift for the BBQ Grillmaster in your family.

Next up is your classic BBQ Grilling Cedar Planks. If you have never tasted food cooked on these babies you are really missing out. We had salmon.   I have to say this is honestly one of the very few ways I like salmon. There is something about the flavor of the wood that grills fish beautifully. Also great for chicken, veggies, beef, seafood and pork. Again they are easy to use. Soak boards until the water makes em lock together. Put your favorite food on top and grill em. Make sure to have a spray bottle handy to prevent flare ups.

Chef Locke Cedar Plank

The plank that started it all

Great for burgers, chicken, and fish.

Now you can get this delicious, mouthwatering smoky taste in your own home!

This Plank is reusable too!

Using the Exclusive Patent Protected "Chef Locke" System; soaking locks the plank

Only Available through our company

Plank Size: 7” x 14 1/2” Available in 2,4, & 6pk

We also got to try out a plank especially made for pizza. Pizza Pie Plank. Grilling is such a great way to make pizza. You can do em homemade like we do or go to the store and get one pre-made. Either way this is gonna rock the flavor of your pizza. The smoke gives the pie a woody natural flavor. The Big Easy Pizza Pie Plank has even won  the Award of Excellence from the National Barbeque Association.

NEW for 2010 - The Big Easy BBQ Plank

Create a one of a kind wood flavored Pizza, Turkey, Kabobs, Prime Rib, Fish & more!

Huge Plank at a low price due to our patented technology

No other Plank this size on the market, big enough for a turkey or huge fish feed

Enjoy Wood Fired Pizza just like the restaurants…. Now you can get this delicious, mouthwatering smoky taste in your own home!

This Plank is reusable too!

Using the Exclusive Patent Protected "Chef Locke" System; soaking locks the plank

Plank Size - 13” x 14 1/2”

They also sent one of their awesome Cherry Smoke Bombs. This is a really simple way to add smoky flavor to any BBQ. Just pick your smoke flavor, soak for 5 minutes in water and if using charcoal just put it in the hot coals. bag and all. For Gas, soak, wrap in foil. slit a small hole through foil and cloth put on flame. Grill and enjoy that amazing smoky goodness every time you grill. The Cherry smoke smells amazing and flavors beef beautifully.

Smoke Bombs

Easy to use. Simply soak in a glass of water for one minute and place in BBQ directly over heat.

Will smoke for approximately 1 hr.

6 flavors to choose from...cedar, hickory, alder, mesquite, cherry, and apple.

Gourmet Cedar Wraps are great to add extra flavor and a touch of class to fish, veggies, fruit etc... Simple to use this is the way to go if you want to really impress someone. Make your dish look like a professional chef made it.

Gourmet Oven & BBQ Wraps

Ideal for the oven or BBQ, very exquisite gourmet meal. Impress your friends”

Simply roll, tie with the string, place in the oven or on the BBQ, and you are a Gourmet Chef!

Wrap size - 5 1/2” x 7” 

Want to keep up? you can like em on Facebook. The like button is towards the top of the page

Ready to buy? Head on over to TailGatingPlanks.com and get ya some.