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I love Father’s Day! It’s a great time to say I love you to all the wonderful men in your life.

It’s a perfect time to find gifts you would like to give to your father. Makobi Scribe is proud to present Father’s Day Gift Ideas Giveaway Event!

We have lots of wonderful blogs participating in this event so please hop around and see what they are offering also!

My giveaway at Strange Daze Indeed is for the amazing new SONY Cyber-shot Digital Camera HX10V!

I was thrilled to review this Sony 16x High-zoom CMOS  camera which just came out in March of this year. I really needed a good digital camera to keep on exploring my Photography obsession and a great camera to take pictures of the family on trips, at concerts and other fun events. This one fits me perfectly. It takes great videos as well. It’s easy to use but has enough features that you can vary it up and create interesting effects and fascinating photos. It has a soft skin mode, face detection technology and background defocus which I love.  I am still exploring and learning all about it.  The zoom is amazing and very clear.

Here is a photo I took of a flower outside my house:

The sky outside tonight:

Here are some cool specs!

·         18 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor – you can create ultra high definition photos

·         24mm equivalent G™ lens with 16x optical zoom, 32x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
·         “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
·         Lightning-fast AF speed of approximately 0.1 second in daylight, 0.2 seconds in low-light
·         3.0-inch Xtra Fine™ 921k dot LCD screen
·         Captures 13.5 MP still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
·         Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60i) and two-direction Optical image stabilization with “Active Mode”
·         Photo Creativity interface and 9 “Picture Effect” options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video
·         GPS geo-tagging functionality

And, here is a photo of the woods in my backyard. When I was a kid, (and now!) I loved getting lost in them and climbing trees where I’d dream away and go on great adventures. I was always a very curious child and I loved to explore!

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Disclosure: I was provided this product by the sponsor to facilitate my review however all opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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Photocredit: Jules McNubbin

My friend Jules has a new puppy! Thanks for sharing all the great photos of Zero! He’s too cute for words!

Free blogger sign-ups now with Literary Addicts for a large Kindle Fire Event June 15-29. Join up here!

We’re getting ready for Father’s Day here so keep your eyes open for some great suggestions, reviews and giveaways to help show the men in your life how much you appreciate them.

I love Dale and Thomas for so many different reasons. I love that when I receive a gift from them, it is just so thoughtfully packaged. I love that they create a beautiful label with a message and a coupon for your next order. I love how everything looks great when you open it and then you see the lovely packages inside just waiting to be ripped, er, carefully opened.

I really love that they use only the freshest and highest quality popcorn and have so many unique varieties. Some flavored popcorns overdo it, some don’t use enough flavor, but so far I’ve found all the flavors I’ve had at Dale and Thomas to have just the right balance.

This week I received the Father’s Day 6-Bag Sampler .This includes some of their most popular flavors. Each bag is a foot long and serves 2-3 people, depending on how much they are willing to share. All popcorn is gluten-free.

I received the Savory package which included: White Cheddar & Black Peppercorn, North Country Cheddar, Real Butter, Summertime BBQ, Bacon Ranch and Spicy Chipotle.

Now, how did they know that savory is my favorite type of popcorn?

You can also buy the Father’s Day 6 Bag-Sampler Chocolate Lovers Version which has 6 of the most popular sweet varieties.

I shared, notice I said shared, the savory flavors with the guys in my life to get their opinions and they loved them. The only complaint was that they wanted more. The Bacon Ranch was a huge hit! I’ve never had popcorn that tasted like bacon before but it was amazingly flavorful with a delicious smoky bacon goodness. It’s also all natural with whole grains and zero trans fat.

White Cheddar & Black Peppercorn has always been one of my favorites, but now I have to add North Country Cheddar to that list. The SummertimeBBQ or “summer in a bag” is unique -sweet and salty kettle corn with tangy BBQ. It’s quite good.

Real Butter, Spicy Chipotle?  Also fabulous.

The guys’ favorites: North Country Cheddar, White Cheddar & Black Peppercorn, Bacon Ranch  and Spicy Chipotle.

I love the kick of spice in the Chipotle and the Real Butter reminds me of going to the movies when they used to use fresh butter.

So, thanks Dale and Thomas for introducing me to some new flavors and reminding me why I love the others.

This is a great gift for Father’s Day for all the guys in your life.

Would you like to win your own Savory Sampler?  Just enter via Rafflecopter and best of luck!

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Disclosure: I received a sample from the sponsor for review purposes but the opinions herein are strictly my own.

One thing I fondly remember about walking home from school with friends was the Penny Candy Store that was on our route. I remember shiny glass cases filled with colorful candy buttons and individual packages of Sixlets. Tutti-frutti candy sticks. I remember that I really loved strawberry licorice laces and twizzlers too. I remember Pez and Pop Rocks that we used to drink Coca-Cola with while eating.

One of the descriptions of joy is to be “like a kid in a candy store”. But, who says, adults can’t have fun there too, even from the comfort of their own home?

Candy.com has been around since 2009 and their ever-growing candy catalog is the most comprehensive on the Internet. With nostalgic retro favorites and today’s most popular brands, as you peruse their bulk candy, hard candy and chocolates, you can feel like a kid in a candy store again. Literally.

My experience has been flawless. They were extremely helpful with great customer service and excellent treats. Candy is their passion and they are willing to try to help you find whatever you’re looking for, for yourself, for a gift, or for your business. They even have a cool candy blog.

I wanted to show you some fun things I found that are going in my next order:

Flamingo lollipops

Penguin Gummies

And, because I know my friend Dana would love this, the Hello Kitty Pez Dispensers in a cute Hello Kitty lunch box tin. 

But, my friends, I am here today to talk about Chocolate, one of my favorite things!

Some talk about its possible health benefits:

I do recommend a piece of good-quality dark chocolate as a healthy snack . . . It is a source of polyphenols, the same type of antioxidants found in red wine, and the fat it contains is stearic acid, which doesn’t affect cholesterol levels. The latest good news for chocolate lovers comes from a study indicating that flavonoids in chocolate are good for your heart. These compounds reduce the stickiness of platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting. By eating a 1.5-ounce milk chocolate bar, you get the same amount of these protective compounds as in a 5-ounce glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. – Andrew Weil, M.D.

While others extol its rich fabulosity!:

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. – Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers

So, now on to some adult candy for Father’s Day and to my wonderful giveaway sponsored by Candy.com :

They are offering one of my readers the Godiva Ultimate Chocolate Collection .

This is the ultimate gift for someone who loves Godiva chocolate!

This gorgeous 10.62″ x 8″ x 14″ faux leather gift basket comes tied with a bow and is filled with the following delicious Godiva chocolates:

• Godiva Dark Raspberry Bar 1.5oz
• Godiva Dark Almonds 2oz
• Godiva Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa 1.1oz
• Godiva Gems 12 Piece Dark Caramel
• Godiva White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Bar 3.5oz
• Godiva Milk Pretzel 2.5oz
• Godiva Gems 12 Piece Milk Truffle
• Godiva 72% Dark Chocolate Bar 3.5oz
• Godiva Milk Strawberries 2oz
• Godiva Solid Milk Bar 1.5oz
• Godiva 4 piece Truffle Gift Box

I love the presentation and the container has a masculine touch and is nice enough to use afterward for all sorts of things including mail and magazines.


And, then, of course, there is the chocolate! It’s a chocolate lover’s dream. I was especially fond of the Godiva Milk Strawberries (amazing!) and the dark raspberry bar with its tart fruit filling. I had never tried the Godiva White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Bar and it’s now one of my favorites. But, to be fair, everything really is delicious and there is plenty to go around – especially if your guy is the sharing type. If not, maybe you can remind him about other times when you’ve shared with him.

Everything was rich and creamy and just melted in your mouth. It’s really a cornucopia of chocolate decadence.


Candy.com is very generously offering my readers the chance to win this basket (a $99.99 value). 


Please follow the Rafflecopter and Happy upcoming Father’s Day! 

This giveaway is open to those in the U.S. 18+, no p.o. boxes for shipping please. 

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Disclosure: I was provided this basket by the sponsor in order to faciliate my review, however all opinions expressed herein are expressly my own.

Karin and Jeff, founders of Gumbies’ Goodies

Here’s a little bit about how Jeff and Karin started Gumbies’ and how it got its name:

 It all began when Jeff picked up ideas from his mother’s cooking skills and later decided to visit an abolita’s (gramma’s) kitchen. He admired her loving care for the ingredients used to make specialty family recipes. He watched and learned about the importance of time spent, quality produce, precise order of cooking of ingredients and, especially, the loving care taken to create flavorful appealing goodies to be enjoyed by all. Through this experience, he developed an inner sense of quality cooking.

Jeff then took his prior knowledge and attended a canning class in 1984 to perfect his joy of cooking. In a happy marriage of growing his own produce and selecting the best to be canned for family and friends’ gifts, he spent hours out in his garden and worked in conjunction with his brother Nelson who owns the StoryBook Farm in Washington. He acquired an adept ability to grow and select the tastiest fresh produce for use in his canned goodies.

Karin joined him in this pursuit in 1991 and enjoyed the intricacies of taking fresh grown produce and turning it into some of the best canned goodies she had ever tasted. She designed the original labels, learned to help with the canning and encouraged Jeff to develop this growing business.

June 2010 sent the Gumbies off to OS Kerr Institute, where, after intense study, Jeff & Karin were awarded Kerr Institute Food Processing Certificates.  They can now run aseptic food processing plants as big as Gerber’s!  The more tests they took the higher the scores; with Jeff acing his & Karin scoring in the high 90’s.
Many apps later, all required licenses were obtained and are being kept current.  The Gumbies had arrived!

Over the years, Jeff has canned 1000’s of gift goodies. Also, he has catered for Weld School’s Administrative Functions, weddings, Valic/AIG Holiday Parties, graduations and many celebration get-togethers. Jeff’s canned goodies were in such a demand that it was a natural progression that they decided to become a commercial business. But what name would ultimately suit this passion for cooking?

Jeff and Karin are both long time educators. Jeff was a track coach for over 25 years and during that time he’d call his kids, “Gumbies” for silly mistakes on the track. In turn, the kids started to call him, “Coach Gumby” and the name stuck so well that “Gumbies” was an inevitable name for his canned goodies that are now ready to share with you. Enjoy!

— from Jeff and Karin

Please check out the giveaway on my blog to win 4 jars of delicious Gumbies’ Goodies here!

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