The Allison Show

#10 Christine She said "Liked Pur Minerals on Facebook."  I will email her and she will have 48 hours to respond!  Thanks for entering my giveaway!!

I will be posting 4 or 5 reviews and giveaways this week just for us!!!  I will be posting a Pur Make Up Review/Giveaway, a Brandini Toffee review, a Joey Junior purse organizer review/giveaway, and maybe a surprise or two!  Be sure to check back all week.  If you are a fan on facebook, I'll update everytime I post one of the reviews/giveaways!  Have a great week!!!!!!!!! Post #1: Pur Minerals Review/ Giveaway Post #2  Brandini Toffee Review Post #3   Joey Junior Purse Organizer Review/ Giveaway Post #4  Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack Post #5  My New Layout

 Congrats to #27 Katie she said "I subscribe to the misikko newsletter!!" She has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be choosen.  Thanks to everyone that entered.

So I decided that since it is Women Only Week, I should do something for me and my blog!! So thanks to Stacie over at Simply Stacie Blog , where she is hosting Build a Beautiful Blog Week. She posted about The Shabby Vanity and that until May 31, they were offering buy one design element get one half off (like header, background, button, flavicon, etc).  Well after seeing their prices ( which are WAY underpriced BTW) how could I not do it?  I decided that since I am pretty good with HTML stuff (like adding cute fonts to title posts, and adding post dividers) that I would order a background, header, a new Button (with the grab me code box), and a post title icon.  Do you want to know what she charged me??  $17!!  For all of that, plus she installed it!  The background is usually $10 (she gave it to me half off), the header is $7, the button was $2, and the icon was $3. AMAZING!!  I love the layout and Madeline was super sweet and great to work with!!  If you want a new look for your blo

SATC 2 comes out in theaters today!!  Are you going to see it?  I will probably go this weekend if A) I can convince my hubby to come too and B) I can convince someone to watch the kids.  But don't feel bad for me!  I have been listening to the  soundtrack since Monday -even though the CD hit stores Tuesday ;) The CD has a wide range of artists on it including Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.  They sing "I Am Woman" karaoke!  Here are the songs and artists. 1. Rapture by Alicia Keys 2. Everything to Lose by Dido 3. Language of Love by Cee Lo 4. Window Seat by Erykah Badu 5. Kidda by Natacha Atlas 6. Euphrates Dream by Michael McGreggor 7. Single Ladies (yep she re-did Beyonce's hit) by Liza Minnelli 8. Can't Touch It by Ricki-Lee 9. Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys 10. Love is Your Color by Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis 11. I am Woman by the SATC Ladies 12. If I Could Ever Leave You by The SATC Men's Choir 13. Sunrise Sunset by T

Title: Every Boat Turns South Author: J.P. White ISBN: 978-1-57962-188-9 Publisher: Permanent Press Published: Sept. 2009 Matt Younger returns home after not seeing or speaking to his parents in 3 years.  Life at home is not how he expected.  His father has congenital heart failure and his mother is bitter from not hearing from her only living son and from having to care for her husband. Matt takes over caring for his father and starts telling his father what he has been doing for the last 3 years. Matt worked as a captain, moving boats from the Eastern coast down to the Caribbean.  In his most recent job, Matt is hired to captain a boat from Florida to St. Thomas.  He runs into a little trouble when he decides to steal 2 million dollars worth of cocaine and then loses it in a storm.  He ends up up in the Domician Republic, and then runs into a little trouble in the form of a beautiful woman.  This is a very well written novel that has the ebb and flow of a poem.  I was not s

 Does this look like your purse? Are you always digging around to find a pen, you keys, your ___?  I am. My hubby gets so mad when he asks me for something and it takes 2 minutes for me to unearth it from the depth of my purse.  But then I found the awesome Joey Junior Purse Organizers !!! It works awesome!!!! It has 6 pockets to hold everything that I carry in my purse.  It even has a special pocket to hold business cards.  The regular material (or you can get luxury suede) is super soft so you won't scratch eyeglasses or cell phones.   That is very important for me.  My cell phone for the last two years was a flip phone.  I would put my phone and my cars keys in the inner lining pocket of my purse.  Well a month ago I bought a new cell phone.  The entire front is a touch screen, and guess what?  I already scratched the top corner of the screen.  So the fact that the Joey Junior also protects my items is a great bonus.  They come in 9 colors and patterns such as: candy apple red,

*Title: Take Me Out to the Ballgame *Author: Gary Morgenstein *Publisher: CreateSpace * ISBN:  978-1448620500 *Summary: "Baseball and bailouts, as American as apple pie. Weaving today’s economic malaise with the powerful magic of a Cinderella baseball team, Take Me Out to the Ballgame is a political baseball novel for our times. The Buffalo Matadors haven’t won a world championship in 37 years, a dying franchise. Until flamboyant Harry Witowsky, a 21st Century George Steinbrenner, buys them, vowing to do whatever is necessary to change the fortunes of the “Door Mats.” Victories and attendance climb as Witowsky creates an Us versus Them mentality at the Stadium. The rally cry of “Where’s My Bailout” replaces “Let’s Go Mats.” Buffalo’s surprising surge resonates with a nation afraid of losing jobs and homes, shaken by terrorist threats, frightened for the future. The Matadors become America’s Team." When Harry takes over as owner of the team, he decides that nothing wi

We can't have a women only week without some chocolate right?   Brandini Toffee is an AMAZING chocloate too!!  Brandini Toffee is handmade with only four ingredients: butter, sugar, dark chocolate, and roasted almonds.  It is addictive!!  You can taste the dark chocolate, and the roasted almonds and the buttery toffee individually and yet they melt together to make the BEST candy/chocolate/dessert I have had. The Brandini Company has a very interesting start up story.  This is from their website.  "During our freshman year of high school, our English teacher Ms. Douglas, told us she was planning a class trip to Italy. We were very excited about the possibility of going. Our parents liked the idea but told us that we’d have to find a way to pay for half the trip ourselves. We were too young to get jobs so we decided to start our own business. But what exactly? Brandon makes a tasty toffee and I just happen to love candy. Let’s start a candy company! Within a couple months we

Here is my first WOW (Women Only Week) post! I have always wanted to try mineral makeup but my sister told me that mineral makeup (at least the foundation) only looks good on women who have perfect skin.  Now I know I'm pretty awesome But nothing I have is perfect, especially my skin.  So I never got around to trying any mineral foundation.  Then I found Pur Minerals Makeup !!!       "As a beauty trendsetter, Pür Minerals is committed to offering a complete range of fashion-forward, pure pigment colours to suit all skin tones and types. As a skin fitness pioneer, we have taken our formulas one step further by adding skin-loving ingredients — like shea butter and vitamin E — to create a multitasking mineral collection that is always in style, easy to use and good for your skin. Our products contain NO harsh chemical dyes, petroleum-based oils, fragrance, talc or fillers, just pure mineral pigments and nourishing actives that ALL skin types can enjoy. By combining the fines

As June is fast approaching so is wedding season.  Are you getting married?  Do you know someone who is?  If so you should go check out LinenTablecloth .  They sell everything you need to have an awesome wedding or party.  They sell tablecloths, chair covers, sashes, overlays, runners, napkins and napkin rings.  You can buy the linens for your wedding cheaper than you can rent them, and Linen tablecloths are very high quality!  These are great tabecloths!  They are thick and well made.  The tablecloths come in round, square, or rectangle shapes.  They also come in different sizes depending on what size tables you have.  They are available in a ton of different colors so you can match any color scheme you can think of.  The colors are deep and vibrant and very true to the color pictures on the website. Since I have little kids that tend to spill, I was planning to save my tablecloths for grown up dinner parties.  But then I got a great idea.  They work great as a backdrop for taking ph

Title: Still The One Author: Robin Wells Publisher: Forever Published: May 1, 2010 ISBN: 978-0446555982 Summary: "After Katie Charmaine's husband is killed in Iraq, all she has left is a closet full of his clothes, a few pictures, and fond memories. She not only lost her love, but her last chance to have the children she's always wanted. Until Zack Ferguson shows up in town . . . with the daughter Katie gave up for adoption nearly seventeen years ago. Zack Ferguson has never forgotten Katie, or the one magical night they spent together. Seeing her again brings up a tidal wave of emotions: regret over the way he left her, anger at the secret she kept, and desire he hasn't felt in years. But he's in town for Gracie. Their daughter is sixteen, angry at the world, and-worst of all-pregnant. She needs the love of her two parents now more than ever. Can these three forgive the hurts of the past and open their hearts to each other?" Aawww!! This is a super

I always wanted to write a novel -- that’s been my dream ever since I was a little girl. In fact, was such a closely held dream that I almost didn’t do it, because I was afraid to put it to the test. I mean, it takes a lot of work to write a book; what if I did it, and it wasn’t any good? So I put it off. I worked in advertising and public relations, and built a pretty successful career. I finally decided to get serious about writing a novel after I had my first child. It made me think big thoughts: what did I want for my daughter? Well, I wanted her to follow her dreams, and it made me painfully aware that I hadn't followed my own. Watching that little baby grow and change was like watching time fly, and it made me realize how easily my "someday" could turn into "never." So I dove into writing headfirst-- I took a course, I bought lots of how-to books, I joined a local chapter of Romance Writers of America, I joined a critique group of other aspiring write

I was so excited to come home the other day and find this waiting for me!!  Isn't this the cutest packaging?  When I opened I was thrilled to find my camera strap from  Capturing Couture !!!  I picked the black and white houndstooth strap.  I LOVE IT!  It is fashionable and cute but also very practical.  I am looking for photography accessories that are cute but they still have to do their job.  The back of the strap is velvet and is very comfortable on my neck.  It is thick and durable. I never worried about it breaking or dropping my camera.   Customer service from Capturing Couture is great!  I received my strap very quickly after ordering it.  I have heard of some other cute camera strap companies taking as along as 4 weeks before even mailing the strap.  I received mine within 3 days of ordering. Another great thing about Capturing Couture is that they make camera straps for men!  Men get tired of plain black straps too and Capturing Couture carries 11 different straps ju

*** This post is intended for readers who are 18+ as it contains adult content.***  Have you heard of Eden Fantasys? They are an amazing adult store that sells lingerie,  sex toys , books, videos, and lots more!!   I have always been interested in sex toys and sexy lingerie but I would rather die than walk in an adult book store.  All the ones in San Diego are gross and their customer base is mostly dirty old men.  That why I love Eden Fantasys!!   It is set up so that the more shy customer doesn't feel over whelmed or embarassed to be shopping there and they carry toys for even the most daring couple.  So everyone is happy!! When Jenn told me about their review program I jumped at the chance.  Then came the hard part: deciding what I wanted to review first!!  I decided on Rose Bra and Skirt Set  because it is sexy and yet still pretty and feminine.  $21.59 Rose bra and skirt set Bra, panty and skirt set by Leg Avenue Material: Nylon Buy from EdenFantasys This product was

My 11 month old (today!) son Mason is a crack up.  He is starting his "fear of strangers" phase.  When a stranger at the store says hi to him, he SCREAMS!!!  Not cries but screams like that person just stabbed him.  And I don't mean scary men with weird combovers and bushy beards (who isn't afraid of them?) but nice sweet little Grandma types.  He screams like Jack the Ripper just got in line behind us.  If Mason is playing with his toys very nicely in the living room and you decide it is time to cook dinner, DON"T MOVE THE FOOT STOOL!!!  We use the foot stool to block the entrance to the kitchen but even if he is playing and no where near the thing, if you block the kitchen he will cry like you just broke his heart.  Mason has had only 2 teeth for the longest time.  But no he couldn't cut a new one one week and another 2 weeks later. He has to cut all 4 top teeth at the same time.  Needless to say, No one has gotten much sleep the last week.  He also got

Is this the cutest  hair straightener you have ever seen or what?  I happen to love pink (Did you know that my blog posts are typed on my PINK laptop?) so I was super excited  when Misikko offered to give me one to review!!! First a little about the flat iron (while color is important, it will not make your hair better looking!) It is made with Tourmaline Ceramic Plates to help prevent frizziness.  The plates are "floating" so they adjust to every hair type.  The edges of the plates are curved so you can straighten, curl or flip out your hair!!  This sounds too good to be too right?  But it is true!!  Usually when I straighten my hair, I notice that it gets a little frizzy or flyaway.  But not with the Hana flat iron!!  My hair always looks straight, shiny, and awesome!!  At first I was a little concerned about it only being a 1" plate.  I have medium to thick hair and I have tons of it.  So straighting tends to be a time investment.  I worried that with a smaller pla

Title: Returning Injury Author: Becky Due ISBN: 978-0-9746212-3-4 Publisher: Due Publications Summary: "Rebecca’s life just keeps getting better. With Jack away on business, she’s looking forward to four days alone to work on her new client's PR campaign to help women take back their lives. But her past intrudes. Roy, the man who stalked and assaulted her years before, has been released from prison. Home alone in her big, beautiful house out in the country, Rebecca has to learn to take back her own life while facing her fears and regaining her strength. But will she be strong enough when she faces the ultimate test?" I think this is a great book for women and girls because Rebecca Due's character's are strong, independent women.  In this book, Due tells the story of Rebecca who has finally gotten everything she wants in life.  She has a great hubby, a sweet pug Lily, a gorgeous house, and a wildly successful PR firm.  But then she discovers that a man sh

We are looking for writers to help us with our Traveling Story. A traveling story is one where each part is written by a different writer. A new story (it is chick lit but we have other genre stories going on too!) will start tomorrow.  Romance in the Backseat is going to do part 1 and then pass it to me for part 2. Each part will be 500-1000 words long and leave the readers with a choice to make: Scenario A, B, or C. Voting lasts 2 days and then the next writer takes over with the winning scenario. When you post your part, you post a link to the part before yours and to the next writer after you. Love writing? Wanna join in? All you need is an active blog and to email romanceinthebackseat@gmail.com   Leave comments with any questions you may have. Need an example? Go check out Cheeky Reads ! Thanks!

Do you have sensitive skin that is irratated by laundry soap and detergents?  Do you have a baby that you don't want exposed to harsh fragrences or chemicals?  Are you looking for an environmentally friendly laundry soap?  Then you HAVE to try Charlie's Soap !!!  Their soaps are made hypoallergenic, biodagradable, non toxic, and environmentally friendly.   It only takes 1 tablespoon of dry doap to clean a whole load of laundry.  And you can use it in HE or front loading washing machines!! That is a problem for me because a lot of detergents aren't made for frontloading washing machines because they need a lot more water then my machine uses, to completely dissolve.  And when the soap doesn't completely dissolve then it leaves residue in your clothes that are transfered to your skin. Gross!! Charlie’s Soap is even approved by the USDA for use in federally inspected meat processing plants and on all surfaces for food processing and preparation equipment.  That really te

I love reuseable shopping bags!!  When Walmart first came out with their black bags, I bought 6 or 7.  Then I got a few free online from Earth Farms, and since March is National Frozen Food Month (who comes up with this stuff?) I got 2 insulated freezer bags for $1 each.  So you must be thinking that I am super Green Mom right?  WRONG!!  I rarely never remember to bring my reuseable bags to the grocery store.  And since we shop for 7 people, we get a TON on plastic bags.  And since I can't remember to bring them back to the store to recycle them, they have taken over the cupboard under my kitchen sink. But then I found out about  Bagnesia !!  They came up with handy reminders (apparently its not just me!!  Yay!) so that everyone will remember to bring their bags to the store.  Thanks to Caprice @ Bagnesia, I was sent a reuseable bag Reminder Kit. The kit includes: * A door hanger.  I hung it on our back door so that when I am leaving for the store, I see it and Grab my bag

Here is a little secret about me...Come a little closer, closer.  OKTOOCLOSE! I like LOVE!!! chocolate!!  I could happily only eat chocolate for the rest of my life.  I especially love toffee!!  Enstroms toffe is AMAZING!! I don't know how the 1 pound box has lasted us this long (FedEx delivered it Thursday and there is still some left today, Sunday!!) I think the reason is because I hid it -we had house guests and I ddn't want to share!!  It is bad enough I had to share with my Hubby ;) and it was in the back of the fridge.  Out of sight out of mind.  Except it was still on my Hubby's mind and he ate half of the box!!  So I had to have some for breafast today if I didn't it might be gone.  Besides it is Mother's Day and Moms are allowed to eat choclate for breakfast right? This toffee is made with only the finest, natural ingredients.  Don't believe me?  Ingredients: almonds, butter, sugar, milk chocolate, salt.  Thats it.  Nothing weird or unpronounceable.

What do all Mom's want for Mother's Day??  CHOCOLATE!!  Thanks to Neva at Enstrom's Chocolates   1 lucky Mom (or person with a Mom) will win a 1 pound box of Enstrom's Famous Almond Toffee!! How To Enter: Mandatory Entry: * Go to  Enstrom's   and check out all of their different chocolates. Leave me a comment with your favorite and your email address. (I will notify the winner by email. They will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be choosen.) Extra Entries: *Follow me with GFC, on Twitter or Networked Blogs for 1 extra entry (up to 3). Leave a seperate comment for each. (Each comment counts as an entry.) * Follow Enstrom  on Facebook for an extra entry. (Who doesn't love email about chocolate?) * Sign up to be on Enstrom's  mailing list  for 2 extra entries (Leave 2 comments) * Putting my button on your blog counts as 2 entries. (Leave 2 comments) * Blog about giveaway 3 entries (Leave 3 comments) Hurry up and enter!!!  The th

Have you tried Pirate's Booty Snacks ?  They are super yummy, more healthy than chips and best of all: THE KIDS LOVE THEM!!! They are cholesterol and gluten free, have 1/2 the fat of regular chips, are baked and not fried, and contain all natural ingredients.  They come in 6 flavors: BBQ, Aged White Cheddar, Pizza, Sour Cream and Onion, Sea Salt and Vinegar, and Veggie.  Thanks to Rachel @ Pirate Brands, I received a treasure chest box filled with 6 bags, one of each flavor. My favorite is the BBQ.  But the kids loved them all.  They even ate the Veggie one!!  If you haven't tried these snacks you should go out and buy them!!