Reunion Island Coffee - review/giveaway!

It all started a few years back when the cafe in my doctors building lured me in with the sweet aroma of their coffee. When you're waiting roughly an hour to be seen, you NEED a coffee to keep you going! Instantly i fell in love with all the offerings of what i learned was 'Reunion Island Coffee'. I quickly became addicted, and looked forward to doctors visits(or driving my mom to her appts) because i knew i could get some GREAT coffee for my wait. Much to my absolute disappointment, they stopped selling R.I Coffee, so I had to look into where I could get my hands on it again. So i found them on twitter (and Facebook!), and popped them a quick tweet, and things spiralled and i was suddenly looking at reviewing the coffee! What luck!

Reunion Island Overview:
Reunion Island is a wholesale specialty roaster featuring gourmet coffee, espresso and tea, including organic and Fair Trade products. Our specialty is roasting 'perfect' whole bean coffee that looks as good as it tastes, however, we are also leading the industry in developing new formats like single cup coffee pods. We are a proud supplier to many of the finest cafés and restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and throughout Canada and the United States.

Reunion Island blends and roasts gourmet Arabica beans handpicked from the world’s finest growing regions. Our specialty coffees are imported from over 20 countries and offered as single origins or combined to create our signature blends, including Italian-style espresso. As a wholesale foodservice distributor, Reunion Island offers the coffee, tea and allied products that coffeehouses need to meet growing demand for Fair Trade, organic and other sustainable coffees. We are also the exclusive Canadian distributor for Victoria Arduino handmade Italian espresso machines.
(from http://www.ricoffee.com/)

Reunion Island Origins:
Reunion Island Coffee was founded in 1995. Its president, Peter Pesce, is a past Chairman of the Coffee Association of Canada and has played a key role in the development of the national specialty coffee market. In a recent feature article, the Toronto Star referred to Peter as “reputedly the best ‘cupper’ in Canada… Not only is Pesce a cupper (taster) par excellence, he is a walking encyclopedia of coffee facts, figures and esoterica.”

Peter’s reputation is the result of over three decades of experience in sourcing, blending and roasting coffee for the high-end foodservice market. Building on this foundation, Reunion Island has expanded to serve the unique needs of hotel, retail and office coffee service operators.
We cultivate loyalty through consistency, flexibility, quick turnaround and virtually limitless variety. Our team of sales, marketing and operations professionals have decades of industry experience, allowing us to offer value-added services that secure long-term partnerships.
(from http://www.reunionislandcoffee.com/)

Let me just pop in here and say that the service and courtesy that i've received from the staff at Reunion Island has been absolutely amazing. They were always very quick to answer my many emails(even after business hours!), they are very active on Facebook(and have recently been having giveaways DAILY!), and are also very active on twitter too! There is absolutely no shortage of public relations with this company! And if you follow their feeds you'll find they are quite active in the coffee world (for instance this weekend they'll be at Canada's Baking and Sweets Show in Toronto! and are at 2 more events in Oct!)
 
Reunion Island also has a VERY comprehensive website, where you can find info on their Coffee Sustainability Initiatives, Coffee Production, Coffee Farming, and Coffee Preparation.

But what about the actual coffee right? As said above, i knew that i was going to love it, I seriously missed it being at the cafe, but what do other people think?

After receiving my fantastic review pack from Reunion Island I decided to throw a coffee and board game night with some mom friends of mine (because most moms LIVE on cofffee!). First up we brewed a pot of the Rainforest Alliance Costa Rica (Floral nose to start, with the sweetness of toasted almonds and a light citric finish) and this one was definitely a hit! The pot was emptied VERY quickly with lots of talk about which brand of coffee it was, from where, how much, etc etc!

Next up we decided to delve darker, and brewed up a pot of the Fair Trade Organic Privateer Dark (flagship blend features the best of Central America, Java and East Africa). This led to talk about the variety of fair trade / organic offerings R.I has, and that 2 of the 5 bags of coffee i was sent were fairtrade/organic. This pot of coffee was also a big hit, especially with my picky 'i drink it black' coffee-snob friend. She was VERY impressed, said it was very smooth, no bad after-taste, and was definitely something that she would drink and serve in her home. This is a very big kudos!

I HIGHLY recommend Reunion Island coffee. You should see the amazing variety of products on their site, from the WIDE selection of coffee, to the wide selection of merchandise. I was lucky enough to be sent a gorgeous copper coloured travel mug with my kit and I've been asked about it many times when out and about with it. The etched coffee tree on the one side is BEAUTIFUL!

While you're browsing around, keep in mind that thanks to the generosity of Reunion Island, they're offering FREE SHIPPING on orders over $19! Just use promo code 'ohm'. (special promo only last 1 month!)



And now for the giveaway! There will be THREE winners who will receive a WONDERFUL coffee prize pack! Trust me it's wonderful! :)

** GIVEAWAY CLOSED - WINNERS SELECTED! **
Contest open to Can/US, ends Thurs Oct 13 @ 9pm EST. Please make sure to leave your email address so i can notify you if you win! And leave 1 comment per entry! Please leave links for bonus entries!


Mandatory Entry:  must be a follower of 'Home of OHM' on GFC, and tell me which coffee you'd be excited to try!


Optional Entries:
*  Follow Reunion Island on Twitter (1 entry)
*  Follow me on Twitter! (1 entry)
*  Like Reunion Island on Facebook! (1 entry) (make sure to do this ASAP because there is a facebook fan contest going on to win a Bunn My Cafe! winner picked at the end of Sept!)
*  Like me on Facebook! (1 entry)
*  Share my Facebook page! (can be done 1x daily!)
* Tweet about the contest! (can be done 2x daily, at least 2 hrs apart please!)
" ReunionIslandCoffee review/giveaway from @orangeheromama, 3 winners!, Can/US, ends 10/13 9pm EST, http://tinyurl.com/3s26yeh "


* Share the contest on facebook! (1x daily)
* Make a purchase from Reunion Island coffee! (bonus! 5 entries! woot!)
* Blog about this contest! (must be a REAL blog entry, not just a 2 line linkie blurb, maybe you could write about your love of coffee!) (bonus! 5 entries! woot!)
* Grab my blog button! (3 entries!)


Thanks! and Good Luck! <3

A Lancaster County Christmas - review

A Lancaster County Christmas

Suzanne Woods Fisher

(Revell)

ISBN: 978-0800719951

September, 2011/208 pages/Hardcover/$15.99

About the book:
Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do--in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits. Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality. Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas? With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.


About Suzanne:
Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.

Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life.
When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/.

My Thoughts:
I had never read any of Suzanne's books before this one, so i wasn't sure what to expect, but I was very impressed. Essentially it's the heartwarming story of being stranded on an Amish Farm at Christmas. We escape the fast-paced world and feel the personal struggles of the characters. We learn that it's not things that are important, but the value of friends and family.
I found that reading a tale that takes place during Christmas took me away from the stresses of the back to school season(routines, meal planning, etc). It was a quick and easy read. The perfect book to escape with over a weekend with a cozy blanket and lots of tea. I recommend it!

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Lancaster-County-Christmas-Suzanne-Fisher/dp/0800719956/ref=sprightly-20


* I received this book for free in exchange for my review thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group. *

Wordless Wednesday - Settlers of Catan

 * 'Catan' for PS3 *

* 'Settlers of Catan' board game *

Yes, i am a Catan nerd! I am slowly getting the game down, and starting to really love it! Even have 2 twitter pals who play on PS3 now! One friend has the app, but i imagine she uses it for iPAD, don't think it'll work on my iPOD..hrmm

* Do YOU play?? *

Wordless Wednesday - dharma & greg!!!

Ok, so if i wasn't such a chicken i would have been cheering and doing the happy dance when i found this at Best Buy today! I found Season 1 (23 episodes) of Dharma & Greg for $10!!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how much i was OBSESSED with this show in high school! I absolutely adored Jenna Elfman! *SQUEE!!*

Can ANYONE else relate here? lol

Elevate Me Bars - review

ELEVATE ME!® is our natural protein and whole fruit energy bar, made fresh daily by our family company in a kitchen, not a lab! Our original family recipe, each 66g triple pack will ELEVATE you with simply natural ingredients: 24% protein and whole fruits. No fillers. Nothing artificial. Ever.


Key Facts:

■gluten-free, wheat-free
■24% protein (whey isolate)
■3 pieces per 66 “bar”
■cold-formed, not baked
■low-fat, high fiber
■no added sweeteners, preservatives or flavors
■8 deliciously unique flavors

My Thoughts:
For my review i was sent 1 box of Elevate Me (66 g) bars(Blueberry Cranberry Goji Berry Boost) and 3 boxes of the Elevate My Breakfast (22 g) bars( 'Cocoa Dark Chocolate Chip', 'Mango Papaya Coconut', and 'Raspberry Cranberry Blueberry'). They were all flavours that i was definitely interested in! And they even included a handwritten note on a post-card that basically said 'we hope you enjoy!'. A nice thoughtful gesture that not many companies stop to even think of! The pictures on the boxes were well-chosen, as I instantly wanted to rip open the box and sample!
I really wanted to review these bars because I am a frequent breakfast skipper. We're late-risers, and I tend to worry about getting the kids ready for school in the morning more than myself eating. I also find that i can't eat for an hour after waking or i feel queasy.
So grabbing one of these bars as i run out the door really works for me, and I know that the ingredients in these are better for me than ANYTHING i might have quickly chosen otherwise! For instance the ingredient list for the Raspberry Cranberry Blueberry 'Elevate My Breakfast' bar is : dates, whey protein isolate(from milk), organic raisins, cranberries(cranberries, applejuice, sunflower oil), apples, almonds, blueberries, walnuts, and raspberries! That's it! All ingredients that i have heard of, can pronounce, and am familiar with! LOVE IT! I also really enjoyed the taste of these bars, and all the other flavours that i was sent! I originally was skeptical that 22g was going to be big enough to satisfy, but i was completely off the mark, it was the PERFECT amount to get me through my morning!

Mr.OHM ended up taking most of the regular 'Elevate Me' (berry boost) bars, he works long hours at the hospital where he's mainly on his feet so he needs that boost of energy sometimes! He also really enjoyed the bars and said they had a great texture! He found them very filling, and because the bar was separated into 3 sections could easily break it up and eat them over the course of his shift when he needed that quick fix.

We're both big fans of this Vancouver based Canadian company and plan to buy more boxes of bars in the future!

* I received 4 boxes of Elevate Me bars, for free, in exchange for my honest review. This is my honest opinion, and yours may differ.*

For more information, check out Elevate Me online on their website, twitter, facebook, and youtube!

Undie Insanity!

A lot of you already know about the INSANE delivery that showed up at my house yesterday, but for those who don't here goes...

It all started over 2 months ago when i innocently bought my child a package of Fruit of the Loom undies. I checked the package and made sure that she was well within the sizing guidelines and away we went. Well they absolutely did not fit her, she could barely even get them up. So because i couldn't return them to Walmart i contacted the company. They said 'no problem! we'll send you a replacement! expect it in 2-5 weeks'...fantastic! so when i didn't receive them in just over 6 weeks i contacted them again, telling them i hadn't received them yet, could they please look into that. I then received an email back saying 'we'll contact our Canadian shipping division and get back to you.'...i then contacted them 11 days later asking when i might hear back from them, saying that i was rather disappointed in their company, etc...I NEVER heard back from them ever again. UNTIL yesterday when the above showed up at my door!!!
What was it?
I received one box containing 2x 6 pks shipped Aug 29...AND I also received another box shipped Aug 31 containing 12x 6pks!! What is my ONE child, who only has ONE tushie going to do with 96 pairs of undies?!
So needless to say i am absolutely confuzzled by the customer service practises of Fruit of the Loom, although it certainly brought some humour to my day yesterday, and a smile when i became the 'underwear fairy' to various young ladies yesterday! lol.

Do tell me your thoughts on this INSANE delivery!

Wordless Wednesday - First Day Pics!

* Hero - gr 6 *

* Orangie - gr 2 *



A trip to the apple orchard!

Last Sunday we decided to flee the city and take a nice family trip out to Birtch Farms. This has rapidly become our apple orchard of choice, due to changes being made at various orchards within London. Last year we found that Birtch is WELL worth the 40 minute drive to Woodstock. There are tons of apples on their trees, a corn maze, a big fun wooden play structure/sand area, a wonderful store/winery, and friendly staff! It also doesn't hurt that we know a couple family members! ;)
So last week we sure didn't have as much time to spend there as we normally would. We spent a very short 45 mins there. But we were easily able to get all the apples that we needed, get a fun play session in, and a social session with our friends.
We saw the amazing new play area that they were putting in.. 'Farmer Bobs Barnyard Adventure' is an enclosed area with peddlecarts, diggers, play structures, water play, etc etc. The only downfall that i see is that the new area will be $6 per child(which i am sorry, but i am poor, and i just can't justify it) and that i am seeing another orchard going towards the more 'tourist-y' amusement stop way. I really just want to have fun and visit an apple orchard with my family..remember when just that used to be FUN? playing hide and seek in the trees, sampling fresh cider, getting a treat at the bakery? I really miss the good ol' days. But maybe it's only me..
Here are some pics from our visit...

Sequin Bible - review

Description:
A fun sparkly and shiny Bible for little girls embellished with sequins…Cute to carry and easy to read!

A full sized Bible in the International Children’s Bible® translation, the Bible kids can read and understand! This adorable Bible is bound in floral fabric and embellished with shiny sparkly sequins! The cover will invite other little girls to ask “what kind of Bible is that?” and the owner can show her sparkly shiny Bible, thus sharing the “light” of Jesus. Inside, the Bible will have four sweet full color presentation pages in the front, a dictionary/concordance in the back, and the full texts of the Old and New Testaments.
Now your little girl can enjoy having a fun sparkly Bible to take to church and Sunday School.


My Thoughts:
When i saw this Bible up for review on Booksneeze, i jumped at the opportunity! I thought that it would be the perfect bible for my girls! Specifically I thought it would be more for 'H', my 10 year old, but when i got it I realized that it was just too girly for her. A little too much pink and sequins for her! My youngest, 6, thought it was absolutely FANTASTIC though! She is quite the fan of pink and sparkly! I do however think that the wording is too much for her. She's still into the Childrens Story Bibles.
So now I have a beautiful, sparkly, girlie Bible that comes in a sturdy box for gifting and no one to read it here yet. I think it's best suited for 8-10 yr olds, so 'A' will likely be more interested in it in the coming years. I think she'll love it.
Warning: there is quite the strong plastic/glue(?) smell to it which does concern me as it's a book meant for children. 'A' thought that it smelled like a skunk!

For more information, or to buy the Sequin Bible, check out the Thomas Nelson Product Information Page.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.