When 1001 Grill Covers contacted me, I was so happy! I'd finally found a grill cover for our custom made table for out Big Green Egg smoker and grill. A good grill cover that's not plain black or green, is really hard to find. Seriously have you ever looked around? Blah! I know that my husband, step father, brother in laws, father in law and friends will certainly love the cool barbecue grill covers that they will open for Christmas this year! They have some cool covers for almost any grill out there. Some cover the entire barbecue grill, some only the grill top. I'd never seen a cover like this even after selling grills for over 10 years. I'm quite impressed with the options that they have available. This is a gorgeous grill cover with Banana leaves all over it. Wouldn't that look great beside a pool or on a great wooden deck? I think this would be perfect for my sister's husband. This is certainly what my husband would pick out. He loves peppers and right now we even have a little basket on the table full of peppers! I can't wait to see his face when he realizes this one will fit our custom table that he is building out of cypress! With all of the grill covers, I know that you will find the perfect one for the man on your shopping list! This is a sponsored post from 1001 Grill Covers.

Here recently I hit a blogging milestone. I completed Kelly McCausey's Blogging Internship. If you have never heard of Kelly, let me tell you a little bit about her. She's a single mom of a teenage son, and internet entrepreneur. Kelly's motto, "Working at home whenever I want.

One of the things that really impressed me with Kelly is that she has created the tools to help mom's work at home.

In today's day in age, blogging is the big thing, right?

A lot of my friends and family look at me like I'm crazy when I mention that I blog. They have no idea what that's about, they just know that I'm internet savvy. Well until this summer, I wasn't nearly as savvy as I am now.

There are mom blogs of every shape and size these days. Mom's of all walks of life are blogging, and I was one of those mom's.

I always felt like I was missing something.

(more...)

Yep, its been a while. I'm still around, mostly lurking, but I'm here. My life has changed a lot since I posted last. I've gained a husband, 2 kids and 3 dogs! I know right! So please excuse my absence. Here lately other than wedding stuff, we've had a few rough weeks. In order to get into the spirit of spring I'm sitting down with one of my sewing projects tonight. I'm not sure if that's a way to de-stress or not. Over at my personal blog I'm about to start a series about control journals. If you don't know what that is, then you may need one! Right now I have a wonderful giveaway for something similar that you can access online, its called BLIS: Best Life Information System. Its the coolest thing! It helps you keep up with all of your appointments, your kids school things, doctor's records, that remodeling project and even helps write your grocery list from your own recipes! (hey there's a link to my Chocolate Pound Cake too!!) I also have another giveaway that should be up later this week from UPrinting. So why not come subscribe to Polka Spot Farm, and keep up with what's going on. I miss y'all!

Hurry and comment! We are giving away one copy of ToDoodList. This is a great orginizational tool that we reviewed a while back, and loved! Nick gave us multiple copies to giveaway, so this is your chance! Comment number 30 will win a copy and also copy goes to comment number 35 (or next on the list if same as 30)!

*UPDATE* Please comment with ideas for the future of Sensational Divas Review Blog. Additional entries can be gained for subscribing to our personal blogs found in column to your right. 1 comment for each subscription please.

Hurry and you will have a good chance on winning one of these! More live giveaways to come!

Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril, is such an adorable book. This is not the first book to be published, but it’s a great addition to our collection. Our family loves Amelia Bedilia (never call her only Amelia by the way). This little girl is the cutest little girl ever. She takes everything that the teacher says literally. You never tell Amelia Bedilia to keep herself glued to her seat. Can you imagine what that child’s mother thought after her first day? Whew! This is a great book with great When we read Marley Goes to School by John Grogan , we laughed so hard, because the first day of school, our Dottie wanted to go also. It was hard to keep her in the van while I walked the kids to their classes. Kayla loved this story because Marley reminds her of our dog Dottie so much. Marley however makes it into the school and interupst the entire day. Just like the playful pup we have, Marley is always the center of attention. My daughter enjoyed these books so much that they have read and re-read them in her classroom for the last two weeks. These two books are parent, kid and teacher approved. Thanks goes out to Harper Collins for the opportunity to review your books! They are staying on our bookshelf for a while.

When I heard that we were reviewing Piggy Paint, I was so happy. I had heard about this product and have been very excited about using it. Being advertised as natural as mud, I was pretty skeptical. I searched for a color that both my daughter and I could use, and came up with something nice. In fact it was very similar to other brands that I had been using.

I used this on myself first, because my kids were with their dad on their summer break. I painted my toenails and was impressed that there was no chemical smell to it at all. I’m so used to my polish nearly taking my breath that I was very impressed. The first thought was that it really smelled like mud! Ha!

The polish remover has no smell at all, not sure how they do that, but it’s pretty cool. I’ve used it to take my polish off, and it works with only a bit more time and scrubbing than the normal stuff I buy. Something that I have started using it for, is removing the pesky temporary tattoos from my daughters skin. It does have alcohol in it, but the aloe helps to keep it from burning. This has worked really well for us, because nothing else gets those things off without turning her skin red with scrubbing or burning.

I’m very impressed with these products and will be buying them in the future. It looks like part of my Christmas and birthday lists has been taken care of with these products. Thanks for allowing me to review your products Piggy Paint! I’m so excited to find a new product for all of the women and girls in our family.

Christi: I found the gummy bear’s package this morning, and no one owns up to eating them! I'd rather that they sneak these than real candy.

LaDonna: yummy!

Christi: But I didn't get to try them! (the gummy bears that is) These only had 70% of vitamin C daily recommendations, but you know some of them had 100% and some had 100% Calcium too.

LaDonna: If I hadn't of been right here when the package arrived I wouldn't have gotten any.

Christi: I had at least some of all of the others.

LaDonna: no corn syrup. I like that too.

Sweets: and of course organic! So the kids loved them?

LaDonna: yep; J too.

Christi: Can you get these locally? I don't think we can, but I'll ask my local health food store to order them, because I'd love to keep these around.

LaDonna: I don't know. I know you can get them at Toys R Us and we have those stores in the cities. Yeah, I could ask the health food store. I'm sure she'd get them in for me.

Sweets: Toys R Us? Really! That's great.

LaDonna: That's a pretty big store.

Christi: We try to avoid that store, but I guess we could go in for good-for-you snacks on our Kidless Weekends

LaDonna: Yeah, I've never been to a Toys R Us, but I would never want to take my children there!

Christi: So which of the TruSweets do you like the most? My favorite was the Sour worms.

LaDonna: Even though the Sour Berry Bears had a different texture I liked them best. It wasn't so different that I didn't get used to it quickly, but different than I first expected.

Christi: I was expecting the same texture as you would get in any candy isle, but these were different, not bad different, but different.

LaDonna: The girls loved the Gummy Worms.

Christi: I was a little disappointed that the sour varieties were not all that sour, but they were still my favorites.

LaDonna: Yes, you are right there. But I'm sure that sour stuff is all synthetic bad for you chemicals.

Christi: I guess you are probably right, but that doesn't make me like it! lol

LaDonna: hee hee What are some of the other samples we were sent?

Christi: rofl! I don't remember. There was the gummy bears, and the worms, and some kinda swirl one...We ate them so fast I couldn't keep up!

LaDonna: Well, some of the others listed on the information sheet include: Gummy Worms, Gummy Swirls, Gummy Bears. Fruity Bears and Jelly Beans.

Christi: I didn't get jelly beans

LaDonna: We didn't get the jelly beans, I don't think. Sour Worms, Sour Berry Bears and Snack Packs. Organic, organic, organic. I think it's something we can trust - they taste good. They look good. The kids love 'em!!

Christi: yep! and I LOVE THEM!

LaDonna: And so do the moms and the dads!

A Big thanks goes out to TruSweets for allowing us to review your products! The Diva's love them and are gladly giving away a package on SSDR. So hurry and sign up!

I was presented with this review a little while back, and said okay I'll review it. It's water, I like water. It tastes like fruit, I like fruit. I knew that it was a package of different flavors, but really I was wondering what all the hype was about. I've seen it in the stores, but normally I just grab a case of water or a water filter for my pitcher. I had been considering one of those water filters with "fruit shots" so I decided to see if that would be worth it by trying Fruit2o.



When the mail lady showed up, she wasn't at my house. The package didn't fit into my obscenely gigantic rural mailbox. It was a big box. So as is the custom here, don't leave the package on the table beside the door, drive to the nearest neighbor (1/4 mile away) and see if they are at home. If they are not home, leave it on the ground by their door.

So I ran by my neighbor's house to drop off the kids, or pick them up or something. I don't really remember. (Hey! This summer has been nothing but GO! GO! Go!) I was told that there was a package waiting on me, so I was thrilled. I love packages! I don't love mail, that usually includes bills, and I don't like those.

I promptly ran back to my van and before I could get home, I'd opened the box. There it was, in all its glory! Fuit2o. My first thought was that the packaging was ingenious! I wish that I had pictures, but somehow they are lost. I took a LOT of pictures of this package, and poof! There was a produce bag, like oranges come in, with two bottles of water. There was a plastic container, like a quart of strawberries would be sold, with two bottles (falling out and crushing, but it was a great idea if not a great shipping idea) inside. Then there was a plastic vegetable bag, like you'd tear off and put an onion inside, with one bottle of water inside and tied/taped closed. There was also a list pad, you know like the ones you write a grocery list. That's a real handy little sucker!

Since I had been in and out, on vacation and on the Go! Go! Go! I decided to take my package with me to Tuscaloosa, AL when I spent the most of 2 weeks in a hotel. I promptly put my bottles in the fridge (after painstakingly taking a ton of pictures that have now gone traveling into space) so that when I wanted something to drink, they were ready to go.

I told Scott about them, and that he could take a bottle or two to work with him. He  was pretty happy about that, and happily grabbed the bottle of Blueberry Pomegranate, he has been drinking that flavor faithfully since its release. I asked if he wanted to take any of the others, and he declined.

So I faithfully opened the Citrus.

Here is the good stuff about Fruit2o

• The nutrients of 2 servings of fruit in every bottle
• 1 gram of fiber
• flavor....um wait a minute

Well I did take a sip of the citrus flavor, spat into the sink (YUCK!) and offered Scott a sip. He thought it tasted like grapefruit and said to never ask him to do that again. My sentiments exactly.

After this experience, it took a few days to get my courage up to try another flavor. I decided on the strawberry kiwi. I thought this was a safe bet, because normally anything of this flavor combo is my pick. This flavor didn't rock the gag reflex, but I only drank about a quarter of the bottle before throwing it out, and that took all day long.

One evening we were going downstairs to visit with some friends, and I grabbed the cherry acai flavor. We were only about 3 doors from the elevator. I opened it, and took a sip. Scott took a sip. We both agreed that it was cough syrup hiding in water. It was promptly closed and thrown into the trash beside the elevator.

I have yet to try the other flavors, and I'm not really sure what happened to them, but mind you I won't be buying these for myself. Scott loves the Blueberry Pomegranate, but rarely picks one up while we are out.

While I prefer plain filtered tap water, I think I'm finished trying to drink watered down fruit juice. But if I did want to kick it up a notch, I'd add my own fruit to my water. It has got to be better than this stuff.



If you like this stuff, and a lot of people do, We are hosting a Fruit2o giveaway where you can choose your flavor. In my house we'd pick the Blueberry Pomegranate of course.

The good things about this review from my end: I got a nice reusable produce bag, a note pad, and learned to spit like a man!

If you are ready to be in the Christmas Spirit, this is the book for you. Milne paints a wonderful picture of brothers ages 9 and 11. As is typical of my boys the same ages, Christmas is not what it used to be. When believing in Santa and all of the Christmas magic that goes along with him disappears what's left is less than to be desired. Insert parents that have the best of hearts and have wonderful connections and all of the magic returns. Molar and his brother Aaron find out that all children don't have a happy normal life like they themselves do. With the help from a local doctor they befriend several pediatric patients and help spread Christmas cheer. While trying to help other's they finally get the Christmas present they "never wished for." The true magic of Christmas is revealed along with tears in everyones eyes, including my own. When you think that the magic has settled there is only more to be revealed. This book truly warms your heart and helps you remember what Christmas is all about. This would make a wonderful gift to any reader on your list this year, just add a box of tissues and a sitter for the kids for a few hours and they will be more than happy to read through the magic.

All that Nora and Jenna want for their families is a perfect Christmas. Although these families are very different, and are even in different towns their lives intertwine in a way that they can never imagine. One Perfect Day is a novel that will tear your heart out of your chest, rip it into shreds yet still keeps your hope that life will be better for the families after this perfect day is over. God always tests the best of us, but these families have been tested in ways that most will never experience.
This is a great book for your book club, and includes a Reading Group Guide in the back. Make yourself a cup of cocoa and grab a throw and some tissues. This book will not let go of your heart long after you've put it down. Snelling has yet again written a sure fire bestseller!