THE blog for Women over 45! Our Giveaways are always over $50! We let younger people be our friends too!

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Soup and a Party for My Love!

[ 6 ] February 9, 2012

Bartolli Meal Soups can make your Weekday Special!

Frozen Meal Soups can Make the Evening a Little less Stress for Both of US!

My Life is a zoo! And my Husband’s is worse. He is working on a major electric vehicle project for one of the Big 3 car companies. Even though, he is the sweetest man..he has been burning the candles at both ends, so I decided to make at least one weeknight special! The only problem is…I only had one hour to prepare and a LOT to do. How could I get it all done?

Unfortunately, it had snowed quite hard and the driveway was full of snow. I knew if my husband came home and found that, he’d be out there shoveling and snowblowing (he’s Polish…he just has to have EVERYTHING just so!) So in order to make the night extra special..I SHOVELED THE DRIVEWAY..sort of. Okay..don’t be shocked. I even have pictures to prove it:

The Chief Blonde Shoveling Snow?

Consider Frozen Meal Soups as a Real Time Saver and for REAL FLAVOR

Well, 40 minutes of that Nonsense (WHY DO I LIVE HERE???) , left me a mere 20 minutes to get a hearty dinner on the table for my 6’6″ husband, who comes home hungry as a bear. Quickly, I made some breadsticks and popped them into the oven. For the main dish, I used Bertolli Premium Meal Soup in Chicken Minestrone. The Meal soup was a breeze to prepare. I just put it into a sauce pan on the stove and added 1 cup of water. After the mixture came to a boil, I reduced the heat and covered it for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. In between the soup meal, I set the table, got out some beverages, and put the breadsticks out to cool.

Toward the end of my 20 minute whirlwind, my husband walked in and the first thing he said was, “Wow, what smells so good?” Then he was all smiles because he didn’t have to shovel the driveway. So 20 minutes from the time I came in from outdoors, I was already to serve my big gorgeous husband a wonderful Bertolli Chicken Minestrone Soup Meal. WHICH HE LOVED! We both agreed that this soup was the best store bought soup of any kind that we had ever eaten. My husband said that if he didn’t know, he’d swear the Bertolli Soup Meals was homemade by ME! He felt it was that good..apparently I am quite the little SUZY HOMEMAKER in his mind!! Take a look at the two beautiful hearty bowls of soup it made!!

Bertolli Chicken Minestrone Soup with and without Parmesan ($5.99 )

Frozen Bertolli Meal Soups can Satisfy all your Family Members

I loved the fact that I can keep this frozen soup on hand and serve a wonderful hearty soup with a homemade taste–Anytime! I also thought I would pick up some of the Soup Meals for my aging parents or some people from church that I take meals to…wouldn’t that be convenient for them? Meal Soups solves the problem about what to serve for dinner when you have no time or energy to create a homecooked dinner! I also think my 3 adult sons would love this..they are just a tad lazy when it comes to cooking but don’t mind heating up something. I found Bertolli Meal Soups very filling, my boys can eat a ton!

3 tips to Make your Weeknight Meal Special

1. Frozen Meal Soups can Make the Evening a Little less Stress for Everyone! (Maybe you can shovel the driveway too!)

2. Frozen Meal Soups are a Real Time Saver for REAL FLAVOR!

3. Frozen Bertolli Meal Soups can Satisfy all your Family Members

Check out Bertolli on Facebook: facebook.com/Bertolli
Twitter: twitter.com/Bertolli
Website: villabertolli.com

Blog Note: I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge.

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Tru Protection iphone 4 Cover Air Jacket Review

[ 135 ] January 23, 2012

Tru Protection iphone 4 Air Jacket designed by Heather Brown

Blog Note: This reveiw/giveaway was part of the Great Gadget Giveaway presented by Kobiso and Madame Deals

Heather Brown Inspired Designs for Tru Protection ($54.95)

These Tru Protection Iphone 4 Air Jacket Phone cases arrived at my house with no solicitation from me that I can find evidence of nor did any PR rep contact me. I do not have an iPhone 4 so I am giving them away to you so you can enjoy them. They are simply gorgeous cases (as they should be for $54.95…Wowza) The designs are bright, light and fun. Heather Brown, is a North Shore Oahu (Hawaii) artist who is world renowned for her Aloha Spirit Art. 15% of the purchase of ever Tru Protection Iphone 4 Air jacket will go to support the Living beyond Breast Cancer Foundation! I like the fact the cases are made in America with a low carbon footprint. It’s also cool that the case extends above the surface offering you iphone additional protection.

Can’t Wait to Win it? Buy it ! Truprotection.com Get one for a friend, a gift or buy one or two for yourself!

THE GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway runs from Jan. 23-Feb. 06, 2012 11:59 EST.

THE PRIZE:

Three lucky winner will take home an Tru Protection Iphone 4 Cover Air Jacket case from the Heather Brown Collection from Tru Protection MSRP ($54.95).

UPDATE:

This Tru Protecttion iphone 4 Cover air Jacket Review is completed. The Rafflecopter had 1838 entries. See iphone 4 Cover Giveaway Winners

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Sweets on a Stick Cookbook Flash Giveaway, Review and Blog Tour!

[ 95 ] January 10, 2012

What’s better than Sweets? Sweets on a Stick

Sweets on a Stick by Linda Vandermeer

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Linda Vandermeer Book…Sweets on a Stick. This is Day 2 of the 11 day Blog Tour. This darling Cookbook full of more than 150 Kid & Parent Friendly Recipes all on a Stick..think Cookies, Candies, Cakes, and Pies plus MORE! There are so many cute choices you will have trouble trying to pick what to make first! Whether it’s Hot Chocolate on a stick, Big Button Cookies, or Cherry Love Pie Pops, I found you could find something for every Holiday and Occasion. AND WHY are sweets t more fun on a stick…who knows? But we all know it’s true. I also loved all the beautiful photography and step-by-step instructions. ($16.95 US, 184 Full Color Pages)

Make sure to follow along the Tour each day as Linda’s Sweets on Stick hops from blog to blog, each blog exploring a different aspect of the book! We are having a 3 winner FLASH giveaway of the book so we know you’ll enjoy your stop in at Still Blonde after all these YEARS! Find the rest of the Blog Tour Schedule after you enter to win one of 3 copies of this wonderful book.

THE FLASH GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway Lasts from Jan. 10– Jan. 10, 2012 11:59 EST

THE PRIZE:

3 Winners will each take home one copy of Linda Vandermeers Sweets of a Stick

SEE MORE BELOW:

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Be-classic Stacey Alvarez Designer T-shirt Review

[ 297 ] January 9, 2012

Be-Classic Stacey Alvarez Loved by Celebs, Designed for YOU!

Stacey Alvarez can help you GET THE SCOOP for winter with her Be-Classic Tees. An absolute must in every woman’s closet, these basic tees were created by Alvarez for the ‘working woman’. Each Be-Classic Tee can easily transcend from the corporate boardroom to each sophisticated soiree for this winter season.

The Be-Classic Stacey Alvarez Tee is one of those Slam-dunk items that I have the opportunity to review. From the second you remove it from the package, you just emit an “Oh Yeah” sigh. You know this is going to be one of those wonderful pieces of clothing that becomes your best friend, you take it with your everywhere and it goes with everything! You see, Be-Classic tees are uber-soft! I can layer them under my “picky” winter sweaters or just wear them alone and feel like a dancer because the fit is so flattering! Be-Classic Tees are designed in Paris and carefully manufactured in Turkey. There are five different styles of Be-Classic Tees including tank top, long sleeve scoop, short sleeve scoop, long sleeve V-neck, and short sleeve V-neck. Sizes range from x-small – large and colors are the best in basics which include white, nude, navy, gray and black. Take one look at the Website…you’ll see just what I mean.

Be-Classic tees (retail $75 -$90) can be purchased at www.be-classic.com or in the U.S. at GITO Stores (16 South Dean Street, Englewood, NJ), Rich Hippie (5350 W Lovers Lane, Dallas TX), The Broadmoor Hotel Boutique (1 Lake Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO), Searle Boutiques (in NYC) and What Goes Around Comes Around (351 West Broadway, NY).

THE GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway will run from Jan. 10- Jan. 17 11:59 PM EST

THE PRIZE:

One Winner can choose their choice of Be-Classic tee (Retail $75-90)

UPDATE:

This Be-Classic Giveaway is over. The Rafflecopter registered 2857 entries. See Giveaway Winners.

Toast to 2012 GRAND PRIZE! Make sure to ENTER TO WIN 1 of 5 $100 Paypal or Visa Gift Cards!!!

Toast to 2012 hostS by Sweep Tight and Just Married with Coupons and the Grand Prize is sponsored by Likeographers.com is a website where users from all over the world can enter awesome giveaways where they can win items such as gift cards and makeup by simply signing up and uploading a candid photo. Likeographers.com is dedicated to providing a place where users can upload a picture of their likes, share them with the world and win awesome prizes.

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The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking Review

[ 395 ] January 9, 2012

Always Wanted to Learn the fundamental techniques of Classic Bread Baking?

Blog Note: Welcome to the New Year, New Reads Giveaway Hop! Hosted by Formula Mom, Tales From the Nursery, & ShePromotes Check out all The Grand Prize and all the other Participating Blogs at the end of this Giveaway post.

The Chief Blond Remarks: Ever dreamed of baking classic breads? How about taking an intensive 8 week bread baking course? That’s exactly what the book The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking will provide to you! First you will learn basic terms, techniques and steps. Then you utilize the illustrated step-by-step Instructions on how to make classic recipes from Italy, France, Germany, Middle Europe AND gluten-free breads! The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Making is from the http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/ . This bread making guide is based on the elite International Culinary Center’s intensive course and is one of the most highly regarded programs in the world for instruction and preparation of future bread bakers!

THE GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway Runs from Jan. 9- January 23, 2011 11:59 EST

THE PRIZE:

$65 The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking Book

Blog Note: This BreadMaking Cookbook Giveaway is Over. The Rafflecopter recorded 3421 entries. See Giveaway Winners Here.

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$75 ila Personal Alarm Review

[ 164 ] December 26, 2011

130 Decibels of Screeching Ear Splitting Protection

ila Wedge $19.99 ila Pebble $14.99 ila Dusk $24.99

Blog Note: This Giveaway is part of the Christmas Letdown Blog Hop, Dec. 26-30. Once you have entered this amazing ila Personal Alarm Review and Giveaway. Head to the Linky below and enter all the other Amazing Giveaways!

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ila Personal Alarm Review

Have you ever been in an unfamiliar place, at night, walking to your car or destination..alone or with another not so savvy companion and wished you had a little something to protect you? This ila Personal Alarm Review highlights three devices that will bring you piece of mind in these situations and may just save your life by scaring an attacker away or give you time to run.

Ila Personal Alarm Review–The ila Wedge

The Ila Wedge can be utilized in your hotel room, apartment or anywhere to alert you when someone is trying to open your door. You simply shove the Ila Wedge under the door, set it and go to sleep in peace. Did you know criminals say a wedge is one of the BEST security devices to keep them out? Why? Because you must actually break a door down in order to get past a wedge! Add to that the Ila Wedge screeches at a loud 130 db as pressure is placed upon it when someone is trying to force the door..well you have some mighty protection there right? I like the fact my daughter could take it to college with her or on a internship in a big city!

ila Personal Alarm Review–The ila Pebble

We think this darling little device is so cute AND so useful. The ila pebble is smaller than an car key fob but so convenientl! At a 130 dB it’s with you where ever you have your keys. It so small that there is no excuse for every being without this screeching protection. Watch the video to see how it works! We think all Women over 45 (and our younger friends) should have the ila Personal Alarm!

ila Personal Alarm Review–the ila Dusk

We have previously reviewed the Dusk earlier this year. Visit the ila Personal Alarm Review of the ila Dusk reviewed by Still Blonde after all these YEARS early this year.

Women over 45 (and our Younger Friends) Want to Win one..get all the Details below! Can’t wait to Win? Need one for Christmas? Or the Holidays? ila tells you where you can buy one

THE GIVEAWAY

Giveaway ENDS Dec. 30, 2011 11:59 PM EST

THE PRIZE

1st prize–the winner will receive an ila Dusk and ila Pebble (Value– $40)

2nd prize–the winner will receive an ila Wedge and an ila Pebble (Value–$35)

UPDATE:

The ila Personal Alarm Review and Giveaway is over. The Giveaway had 2 winners with 2038 entries via a Rafflecopter. Thanks for entering. SEE GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

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Book Review: The Dead Janitors Club by Jeff Kilma

[ 0 ] June 30, 2011

Well, not for the squeamish over 45 year old Woman, is it? If you like horror movies and true to life accounts..then this may just be your book!

~~The Chief Blonde, Still Blonde after all these YEARS!

Book: Dead Janitors Club, Pathetically True Tales of a Crime Scene Cleanup King

Author: Jeff Klima
ISBN:13-975-1-4022-3829-1
MSRP: US–$15.99
Publisher: SourceBooks
Pages: 352, oversized Paperback, non-fiction

Having toiled for minimum wage for years, Jeff Klima got an unexpected offer: to head up a brand new crime scene cleanup company in Orange County. The upside: a chance to make incredible money in a field with no competition. The downside? Everything else about the job. The Dead Janitors Club is an engrossing, hilarious, and morbidly fascinating memoir of life and death from someone whose life is all about death. Klima brings the hidden world of crime scene cleanup to life.

Klima paints readers a vivid, raw, uncensored picture of what this job is really like. His accounts range from his first job-where a piece of brain fell off the ceiling and landed in his eye -to finding bloodstains missed by cops and sparking a reopening of a crime scene. And that’s only what happen on-site, the stories about what went on at the office are filled with corruption and deceit. The Dead Janitors Club is more than just a retelling of crime scenes and what it takes to clean them up; it is a memoir of struggling to survive college, love, and life, morals and ethics while keeping sane when one never knows if, the next time the phone will ring, you must delve into the darker side of life and death.

The Chief Blonde Reviews The Dead Janitors Club by Jeff Kilma

Eww ewww eww.. Crime scene realism at its deepest and darkest. Not what happens during the crime…but what happens after, and it ain’t pretty. Here’s a little excerpt, where he talks about his cleanup job:

There was the old man who’d died from falling off his concrete porch and smacking his head open with the business end of a rake or the job I did at the Motel 6 in Fontana where a man, knifed in the gut, had dragged himself along a hundred feet of walkway and rounded a corner before finally collapsing in the stairwell.

Stuff like that required serious equipment to do the job correctly, equipment that Dirk (his boss) didn’t want to shell out for. Instead, he believed in his method of using a small furniture scrubbing brush like a glorified toothbrush and scrubbing the blood out inch by inch.

Uh-huh? Well, not for the squeamish over 45 year old Woman, is it? If you like horror movies and true to life accounts..then this may just be your book!

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Book Review: Errol & Olivia, Ego & Obsession

[ 0 ] June 30, 2011

“Women over 45, if you can tear yourself away from the beautiful photographs, Robert Matzen explains the story and relationships (of Errol and Olivia) behind the movies, the gossip, and the innuendo and tells us for the first time what we really want to know.”

–The Chief Blonde, Still Blonde after all these YEARS!

Book: Errol & Olivia, Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood

Author: Robert Matzen
ISBN:978-1-9711685-8-9
MSRP: US–$39.95
Publisher: GoodKnight Books
Pages: 208, oversized Hardback, deluxe paper
Illustrations: Full Blaring Color and B&W as appropriate

Errol & Olivia: Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood is the first book ever to delve into the incendiary relationship between the great motion picture stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. In Errol & Olivia, Robert Matzen goes behind the scenes the Golden Era to tell the intimate story of how Errol and Olivia battled the studio system—and each other—in the name of ego and ambition to achieve lasting fame.

Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland first laid eyes on each other in 1935—and their lives were forever changed. He fell in love with her, and she with him, and through eight motion pictures these two Hollywood luminaries earned millions for the WarnerBrothers Studios—plus rich contracts and international acclaim for themselves. All the while, discontent slowly built as they made one classic picture after another, including the Academy Award®-winning The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). But what caused such unhappiness for Errol and Olivia? Here, told for the first time, is the story of the years Flynn and de Havilland spent together at Warner Brothers, learning the business together and then growing apart—until unlikely events made them allies and forged a bond that would last forever.

The Chief Blonde Reviews: Errol & Olivia, Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood

Ahh, the Golden Days of Hollywood..the passion, the angst, the looks, the passing kisses. And yet, there is always the other side of the Silver Screen–True humans who after being thrown together in picture and after picture develop all kinds of emotion for on another–that is the story of Errol & Olivia, Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood. I found myself captivated with the endless posed and candid pictures of the two stars. Truly, I can say, this is the part of the book I enjoyed the most. You can see such vulnerability in the unposed shots, such raw emotion! Women over 45, if you can tear yourself away from the the beautiful photographs, Robert Matzen explains the story and relationships behind the movies, the gossip, and the innuendo and tells us for the first time what we really want to know. What were Errol & Olivia really like and what was their relationship?

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Book Review: Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Enter If you Dare!

[ 0 ] June 30, 2011

“Women over 45–Got a teen in your family who doesn’t like to read? They won’t put Ripley’s Believe it or Not 2011 Annual: Enter if you Dare! down. It’s better that Strategy guide for World of Warcraft.”

–The Chief Blonde, Still Blonde after all these YEARS!

Book: Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Enter If you Dare

ISBN:978-1-895951-63-1
MSRP: US–$29.85 Canada–$25.00
Publisher: Ripley’s
Pages: 256, oversized Hardback, deluxe paper
Illustrations: Full Blaring Color

Ripley Publishing builds on its worldwide success with their 2011 annual, the seventh in its multimillion bestselling series. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Enter If You Dare! is an all-new collection of the strangest stories and features from around the globe.

A mind-boggling array of incredible and bizarre facts, stories, interviews and features are presented in a stunning new design. New highlights include “Ripley’s Revealed,” an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at such subjects as contortionism, fire-eating and sword-swallowing. Enter If You Dare! also includes interviews with some of the planet’s most extraordinary people that explore their motivations, while “Ripley’s Research” boxes explain the science behind some of the most incredible tales in the book.

Stories from Ripley’s Believe It or Notinclude:

A Wisconsin man spent 17 years building a sports car in his cellar – then realized he had no way to get it out of his house. You won’t believe what he did to get it out!
A Nepal teenager is the smallest man on earth. He stands 22 inches tall and weighs just 10 pounds.
A real-life fat cat in England weighs a whopping 22 pounds and likes to pig out on cheese-and-onion potato chips. He was chosen to be part of a weight loss group for porky pets.
A Chicago woman needed something to wear to a party, so she made a dress – out of salami and bacon.
A man spent 15 years building a model out of matchsticks – 4,000,000 matchsticks!

The Chief Blonde Reviews Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Enter if you Dare!

I remember when I was a little kid, my grandma had a Ripley’s Believe it or Not Book. I would spend hours with my brother, just pouring over the book and looking at the black and white illustrations. It was so fantastic, like a 1940s comic book! Fast Forward to 2011, here I am again, pouring over the 2011 version of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not 2011 Annual: Enter if you Dare! While still the same crazy, mixed up, all over the page format, this edition is printed on top quality coffee table high gloss stock in an oversized edition and the color is so in your face–you almost need sunglasses. As usual, I can’t help but pause and stare at Tiny Iron who sports Monster arms, or the Mice Kebab from Malawi (really yucky), or Leandro Granato, an artist from Argentina who paints using his eye as a paintbrush (you really need to see the picture for this one!) Simply hours of fun, for young and old. Women over 45–Got a teen in your family who doesn’t like to read? They won’t put Ripley’s Believe it or Not 2011 Annual: Enter if you Dare! down. It’s better that Strategy guide for World of Warcraft.

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Book Review: World’s Best Origami, Nick Robinson

[ 0 ] June 30, 2011

“Women over 45 will adore this book for the interesting Origami creations they can master! World’s Best Origami is everything you could want to unlock your paper folding dreams”

The Chief Blonde, Still Blonde after all these YEARS!

Book: World’s Best Oragami, Over 100 Amazing Models from Top Origami Artists

Author: Nick Robinson
ISBN:978-1-61564-053-9
MSRP: US–$20.00 Canada–$25.00
Publisher: Alpha (Penguin)
Pages: 312, oversized paperback
Illustrations: Black and White

Many school children fold paper airplanes, but don’t realize they are participating in an ancient Japanese art form. Nick Robinson’s new book, World’s Best Origami(ISBN9781615640539, Alpha Books, November 2010, $19.95), allows readers to revisit their paper-folding days and transform the simple airplanes of grade school into beautiful, three dimensional sculptures with a rich history.

In World’s Best Origami, Robinson shows readers how to transform a flat sheet of material into a three dimensional sculpture through folding without the use of cuts or glue. “Origami is an integral part of our everyday lives: recreation, therapy, entertainment, problem solving, engineering, and education. Despite all these varied possibilities, most people make origami for fun and relaxation,” says Robinson.

When beginning a new hobby, it’s easy to rush into the most challenging or exciting project available. Many times this leads to frustration, and, in origami’s case, a lot of wasted paper. World’s Best Origami provides the first-time folder with the basics and progresses towards more difficult models. It also includes a thorough refresher course for more experienced folders. This book teaches readers how to:

· Create the ideal environment to fold in

· Choose the ideal paper for each project

· Read an origami folding diagram

· Make the basic folds more complicated works are founded upon

· Create birds, animals, flowers, people, containers, and more from step-by-step instructions

The book also includes information on what to do after the basics have been mastered. How to establish a style, get creative, join an origami club, and inspire others are also covered within the chapters. It is the most comprehensive origami book on the market with more than 100 pieces.

“Each chapter starts with relatively simple models, moving smoothly toward more-challengingworks,” says Robinson. “By the time you’ve folded the entire book, you’ll be in a position to tackle origami at any level of complexity.”

The Chief Blonde Reviews World’s Best Origami:

A wonderfully structured and laid out book which presents the world of Origami to the masses. Challenging enough for the expert, simple enough for the beginner–incredibly detailed, World’s Best Origami is everything you could want to unlock your paper folding dreams. We enjoyed the sections that World’s Best Origami were laid out in, which included Basics, Birds, Flower and Practical (think Wallets) to name a few. Our favorite creation, hands down, was the Fancy Swan followed by the Simple Santa (the Chief Blonde collects Santas!) An excellent table of contents and index round out the book, making the paper item that you never knew you wanted to make, right at your fingertips! Fold On! Women over 45 will adore this book for the interesting creations they can master!