Little Secrets
No artificial ingredients, flavors, or colors. No corn syrup. No diggity. No doubt.
Little Secrets are often described as the healthier version of the M&M. With no artificial anything, Little Secrets are “knock-your-socks-off” delicious bite sized candy coated chocolate bits. Crunch through the bright candy shell and taste what real candy is: rich, sweet, and crunchy all at the same time. Read more 
The Makers Apron
Most people don’t get too excited about aprons but I do because an apron not only protects clothes but also helps keep things – measuring spoons, spatulas, a tissue, or scissors – close at hand.
Years ago I read a cookbook (Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan) that gave me some invaluable advice: gather all your ingredients on the countertop before starting a recipe. The second great piece of advice that I had to learn through trial and error was to always use an apron that is functional and fashionable. Although the second aspect is arguably trivial, there’s no doubt a fantastic piece of clothing makes us feel happy and that’s what a Maker’s Apron does. Read more
The Ultimate T-Shirt
Triple Threads – a company that makes a boutique line of globally conscious apparel designed to inspire and represent three ethical reasons – earth, animals, and health – for a compassionate lifestyle – makes t-shirts that are soft and very flattering with a body hugging consciousness. Read more
The Triplet
My motto for a handbag used to be “the bigger the better” but searing shoulder pain and frustration at my inability to find anything in what my husband calls “the big black hole” led me to rethink my lifelong penchant for carrying a huge purse. Enter the “Triplet” – an 8 inch by 5.5 inch by 2 inch crossbody purse (that can also be carried as a pouch by simply detaching the strap) with three separate compartments with top zipper closures that gives new meaning to “great things come in small packages.” Read more
Ry’s Ruffery Healthy Dog Treats
Don’t feed your dog what you wouldn’t eat yourself.
Ry’s Ruffery was born of a young boy’s desire to make healthy and delicious dog treats (that also smell good) for his puppy, a beagle named Barkley. Using the most wholesome ingredients available, Ry’s Ruffery makes three varieties of dog biscuits – Peanut Butter, Pumpkin-Apple, and Cheddar – all of which are grain-free, vegetarian, crunchy, wholesome, and pretty darn good (yes, I did taste a peanut butter biscuit). But, the ultimate judge is the dog and in my home, both my dogs gobble these treats down. Read more
The Servus Northerner Series Boot
Whether you wear boots to walk in the rain, work in a garden or to simply protect your feet from the cold and muddy elements, there’s one boot that does it all: the Servus Northerner Series Boot. Never heard of it? Neither did I until a few years ago when I bought a pair in a vet’s office in a small town in central Iowa.
Back then, I needed a pair of durable boots to navigate the fields and muddy roads of a farm and didn’t want a pair of boots that looked like they came from the children’s shoe department at Target. What I found was a boot that turned out to be great looking, comfortable, and durable….. and yet outside of the midwest farming community, many people haven’t heard of them. Read more
The Matt and Nat Hemlock Handbag (Vegan)
Live beautifully.
Matt and Nat (short for Mat(t)erial and Nature) is a Montreal-based company formed in 1995 to make products with recycled materials – plastic, nylon, cardboard, rubber, cork, and bicycle tires. Sounds strange? Maybe, but the products – handbags, wallets, backpacks, messenger bags, laptop and i-pad sleeves, briefcases, diaper bags, and more – are stunning, remarkably strong, extraordinarily useful, and very economical. Read more
Inside Smarts Wash Bags
Long live your laundry! ~Billy Mays
We’re talking laundry today. Yes, that boring task that grows exponentially daily. Many things annoy me about laundry but the number one irritation is how to properly care for clothes because it’s not a matter of filling up the machine, pouring the detergent in, and turning the dial (were it that easy, no one would have designed men’s white underwear with a red waistband, shirts made with different fabrics, or work out clothes with lycra and mesh).If you’ve ever opened up the washing machine to see bra straps tied tightly around a favorite white shirt or the laces in the waist of your husband’s gym shorts shriveled into a tight ball, read on. Read more
The Ultimate Oxford Shirt
The Oxford shirt has been around for decades – maybe longer – and is one of those wardrobe pieces that never goes out of style but finding a well made, stylish, and great fitting Oxford shirt made of 100% cotton at a reasonable price is a challenge. If you happen to be a woman with a long torso and arms, then the search is even tougher.
My husband swears by Brooks Brothers but he’s a guy shopping for men’s shirts (and the company’s women’s shirts are too short in the torso for long-waisted women). I’m a gal looking for women’s shirts and swear by Abercrombie & Fitch and specifically, the men’s Oxford Shirt with the Muscle Fit (as opposed to the Classic Fit) meaning the shirt is cut slimmer and fits closer to the body. Meant for a man, but fitting for a woman (sounds like that 1970’s commercial for Secret deodorant that went something like “strong enough for a man but made for a woman.” Read more
The CORE Meal
Core Foods – based out of Oakland, California – was established by Corey Rennell, a self-confessed adventurer who traveled the world and learned two lessons along the way: eat mainly whole fresh fruit and vegetables, and treat others the way you want to be treated. Sounds simple, but as we all know, the day-to-day demands of life often keep us from eating healthy and forgetting about the people we interact with each and every day. Read more
Paddock Post 