Monday, February 25, 2013

Want a free pair of prescription glasses?! Firmoo.com Eyeglasses Review

Recently, I was contacted by Firmoo.com, a global online optical store, to write a review on their products. I don't typically say yes to review offers, but this one really piqued my interest. I was curious about how well the process of picking out prescription glasses online would work. My thought was, how can you really know if you like a pair without trying them on?! But knowing how expensive prescription glasses can be, and seeing how reasonable Firmoo.com's prices were, I thought I would gladly accept a free pair in exchange for an honest review of the company and product.

First impressions:
The website was very user friendly. I was able to upload a picture of myself and enter my eye measurements (I'll explain that later) so that each pair I "tried on" looked realistic on my face. Here are a few screen shots of my top three choices:



Since I had recently purchased a pair of prescription glasses from my eye doctor, I decided to go a little "hipster" with this pair- hence the red, blue, and oversized frames. :)

I ended up going with the middle choice- the blue frames. Here's what they look like on my non-summer, non-tanned face. :)

What do you think?!

Too big?

Too blue?

Too nerdy?

Or totally hipster-cool?! (the hitch-hiker thumb adds a completely different element, don't you think?)

My opinion of the product:
I have to say, I am really impressed with the product and the company. I received an email within days of placing the order saying that the glasses had shipped. Two weeks later, they were at my house. Apparently they ship from China, so the shipping time is longer than I initially expected, but when you consider waiting for your glasses to be ready from the eye doctor, I don't feel like there's much difference in wait-time really.

They came with a case, cleaning cloth, and adjuster tool (which I didn't need to use).




The eyeglasses themselves are very light-weight, but feel durable.




Would I recommend them?
Whether you wear prescription glasses or just like to wear cool frames for fun, I would definitely recommend trying out firmoo.com. I was certainly skeptical at first, but was surprised by how easy the process really was.

If you decide to go the prescription glasses route, you will need your current prescription from your eye doctor. For some reason, I was nervous about calling and asking for it. Turns out it was not a big deal at all. The front desk person emailed it to me right away without a problem!

Once you have the prescription, you plug in the information onto the website- it walks you through the steps and even has a tutorial and Q&A page if you have any trouble. The one thing that was not on my prescription and initially had me confused, was my PD, or pupillary distance, measurement. Apparently they anticipated people being confused by that and had a link right there to explain how to find the measurement. Everything else they asked for lined up exactly with the way my actual prescription looked, so it was very easy to enter the rest of the information.

What are their prices like?
I'm so glad you asked! (sorry, couldn't  help it... it wouldn't be me without a little cheese in this post)
Firmoo.com has  a program called First Pair Free that allows you to try your first pair for FREE! (Don't you love that I just explained that?) All you pay is S&H, which is $6.95 if you live within the United States. You can find out more about the program here.

Considering that prescription eyeglasses from the doctor's office can cost hundreds of dollars (even with insurance!), I would highly recommend at least trying the First Pair Free program from Firmoo.com. Worst case scenario, you don't like the glasses and you're out $6.95.

Oh, and they also have prescription and on-presciption sunglasses as well, with an option to have them polarized if you're interested.

Let me know if you have any questions that I didn't address here. I think you'll be really pleased with the website, customer service, and products from Firmoo.com. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Tortellini Tomato Soup

I've been on a soup-making kick lately. And Pinterest is my new best friend when it comes to finding delicious new recipes to try. I will say, this one is not quite as delicious as the Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup we had a few weeks ago, but it's still pretty tasty! The recipe comes from Taste of Home. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) Campbell's Tomato Bisque Condensed Soup, undiluted
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

My dad introduced us to this soup when he was in town for the holidays. It is sweeter than regular tomato soup and so delicious on its own or served with grilled cheese. I decided to use it in this recipe instead of regular tomato soup to give it that sweeter, creamier taste.


Monday, February 18, 2013

BBQ Chicken Pizza w/ Fresh Mozzarella, Feta, Turkey Bacon, and Corn

Two words- OH. YUM. I can't wait to make this again!



Ingredients:
1 bag Publix pizza dough
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
3 pieces turkey bacon
1/2 sweet onion
1T garlic, minced
1T EVOO
1/2 can corn, drained
1/2 package fresh mozzarella
2T crumbled feta
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Allow dough to sit at room temperature for at least one hour. Saute onions in garlic and EVOO; set aside. Cook turkey bacon in the same pan; set aside. Tear turkey bacon into small pieces once cooled. Cook chicken covered in apple cider vinegar in the same pan; set aside. Roll out dough to desired thickness. Mix BBQ sauce and sour cream. Spread onto dough. Layer chicken, onions, corn, feta, turkey bacon, and mozzarella on top. Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes.
















Thursday, February 14, 2013

$200 Tiffany & Co. GIVEAWAY!

Yes, you read that right! In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm linking up with Ashlee from AB Petite and a few other bloggers to host an awesome $200 gift card giveaway to Tiffany & Co.! The giveaway will run through Sunday the 18th, so be sure to get your entries in by then. I'm secretly a little jealous that I can't enter, as I think it would be quite fun to open something from one of these little blue boxes... ;)

So good luck! And Happy Valentine's Day!





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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Calling all Foodies... Come join the hop!

I'm super excited to co-host the Wonderful Food Wednesday blog hop this week! Please feel free to visit as many recipes as you'd like, and share as many as you'd like as well! It would be great if you could leave a comment on the blogs you visit to let them know you stopped by. We are bound to have some new ideas for the kitchen after reading what everyone has to share. So let's get started!

WFW-button

Our feature this week is Posed Perfection - check out this wonderful Valentine's idea:
heart shaped cinnamon rolls 1
Be sure to stop by their blog and check out this recipe and lots of others.
Come back next week to see if you are our Wonderful Food Wednesday featured recipe!
If you've been featured grab this button and place it on your sidebar:
WFW-FEATURED
Rules:
1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel
and Jessica @ AtHomeTake2, Kaitlyn at Wifessionals, and Heather from Notes From the Nelsens.
*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can follow you back.
2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cornerstone

There's something about starting the morning with worship that puts the rest of my day into perspective. This song is one of my favorites- hope you enjoy. :)

Hillsong Live
Cornerstone


My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly trust in Jesus' name

Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong, in the Savior's love
Through the storm
He is Lord, Lord of All

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

He is Lord, Lord of all

Then He shall come with trumpets sound
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
faultless, stand before the throne

Sunday, February 10, 2013

BBQ Chicken Mac

This original recipe comes from here and contains four ingredients. It came through my email one day last week and I decided to make it that night. Yes, this is a habit- I'm a bit impulsive when I read a delicious recipe on my phone... But impulsivity pays off sometimes- it was so tasty! I will definitely be making it again in the near future. :)

Ingredients:
1 pkg Kraft Three-Cheese Mini Shell Macaroni and Cheese
1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1T garlic
1 medium onion, diced
2T red pepper, diced
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can corn, drained
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Saute onions, pepper, garlic, and chicken in EVOO. Add BBQ sauce, sour cream and corn. Cook macaroni according to package. Add to chicken and mix. Top with cheese and green onions.












Monday, February 4, 2013

Photo Dump: Visiting friends & family, Date Nights, KidVenture, and Super Bowl

It has been a busy couple of weeks! I seriously cannot believe we're in the month of February already. This school year has FLOWN by! I've randomly documented different events from the past couple of weeks, so here's the photo dump in all its glory:

A visit with sweet T!

Love that face!

Double date night with Kemble and Ashley: 
Zoe's, Menchie's, and then Phipp's to see Zero Dark Thirty- SUCH a good movie! And how about the seats in newly renovated theater?! Fancy fancy! :)

 A visit to see our nephew Jackson at Karen's house last Saturday- man he is so fun to be around! Such a cutie! He loves his Uncle Matt- the feeling is mutual. ;)

Then on Tuesday, Karen and I grabbed dinner together and got these two cute videos of Jackson before we left. He's getting good at his "tricks"! ;)



Thursday, Matt and I hit up Souper Jenny for Grilled Cheese Night- love that place.

KidVenture Bowling
On Saturday, we took our first graders from UpStreet bowling with KidVenture. We had FOURTEEEN of our kids come! We have 16 on our roster, so that was a pretty great turnout!






We've gotten to be with a lot of these kids since they were three years old. It's so fun to watch them grow up!




This. is. awesome. Give a kid a glow stick and some music...








After bowling, we drove to my parents' house in Monroe to stay the night. Of course, we hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant.

This is my "sister" (as she says!) Cindy. We make sure to get her table every time- she is so sweet!

She always spoils us with a surprise appetizer or dessert- this time she brought the Mexican brownie ice-cream. Poor Matt- Mom, Charles, and I loved it though!

Back at the house, mom had this picture waiting for me- so then Charles plopped his hat on me for the side-by-side comparison. See the resemblance?! haha... oh Glamourshots. Were those everywhere, or just in Georgia?! Hilarious.


SUPER BOWL
Sunday after church we drove up to Greenville, SC to visit some friends for the Super Bowl. It was so fun catching up with everyone and getting to meet Peter and Becca's baby Londyn. I don't think I have ever seen a baby smile SO much! She is adorable.