Since receiving the latest innovation from Babycakes I've been in waffle heaven. I've always wanted a waffle maker and when the opportunity came up to post a review of the heart-shaped waffle maker from Babycakes I couldn't say no. It would make a wonderful gift for a bridal shower or even a wedding as I'm certain the newlyweds would love making these waffles for their breakfast {or lunch or dinner as I've even done}. This waffle maker is super easy to use and the clean up is so fast, minus the extra batter that ooozed out the sides onto my stovetop the 1st few tries LOL. But, that's because I added to much batter to the heart-shaped impressions on my first few attempts. I also found that when I made regular batter {not gluten-free} it actually didn't oooze out at all. I think it's something in the gluten-free batter that caused this to happen and I'm getting better and better with each try.

It only takes minutes to cook the waffles and I love topping my waffles with a little butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit and then some whipped cream. Oh, and you can even make lollipop waffles with this maker - those are a HUGE hit with my daughter. Simply pour some batter in, add one of the lollipop sticks that are included with the maker and rest it in it's very own slot, then add in more batter, close it up and voilá - you're very own lollipop waffle is ready to eat.

Recipes are included in the manual that comes with the heart-shaped waffle maker, but do you have a favorite waffle recipe that I should try? Doesn't have to be gluten-free as I can typically adapt any recipe and make it gluten-free.

There's a new dessert company out there know as Bananappeal who carries a line of ready-to-eat banana-flavored cakes that are baked right in their very own vintage-inspired Mason jars. The cakes are the amazing creation of pastry chef Courtney Dougherty who is a graduate of Cornell and an alum of the pastry kitchens of 11 Madison Park and Tru.

I was lucky enough to receive samples of these desserts and have fallen in love with them. These individually-sized desserts are adorable, super tasty and perfect for bridal showers and weddings - well, actually any type of party. There is a flavor to suit all tastes . . . including four frosted cakes: Banana Peanut Butter; Banana Salted Caramel; Banana Toasted Coconut; Chocolate Chip Banana Fudge . . . and four cheesecakes {2 of which are gluten free}: Banana Gingersnap; Bananas Foster; Banana Strawberry {gluten-free} and Banana Tiramisu {gluten-free}. But, if you ask me to pick a favorite - I don't think I can do that as they are each delicious and have the perfect combo of flavors.

Why not serve your guests their very own Bananappeal in lieu of a cake? The jars then become the take home favors for the guests. Or, you can present your guests with their very own Bananappeal dessert as their favor with one of the many custom and semi-custom lid stickers. You can choose from one of their existing templates or create you own custom label with the help of their in-house graphic designer. Case pricing is available and Bananappeal ships anywhere in the country.

above photo taken by me with a Canon 60d

I have to say I am totally in love with not only the taste of Courtney's cakes {which are totally all natural by the way}, but the presentation of each little cake and her marketing goodies - her business card is letterpressed and shaped like a banana! Each little cake {which comes in 2 sizes to choose from} comes with red and white twine tied around the lid and sealed with a banana sticker. ADORABLE!!!!!!

above photo taken by me with a Canon 60d

Ready to try your very own Bananappeal Cake? You can order online from Bananappeal.com anytime and starting in March, you will be able to order online from Williams Sonoma.

Sheyna is a unique jewelry shopping experience - you can either choose your favorite jewelry designs or design-it-yourself with their unique drag-and-drop digital sketchpad. Sheyna customers can shop from among the 10,000 existing items made from more than 4,000 designers or, in minutes, you can design your own necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There is a wide assortment of beautiful bases, stones, beads and charms with more than 115 million aesthetic combinations possible. WOW!!!!! There is something to suit every taste and budget. Each item is handmade by skilled artisans around the world and shipped for free.

I was recently gifted a lovely Sheyna necklace {the Red Hat Delight Necklace} which I have been wearing quite often. My necklace can be seen above - it features a gold vermeil set with amethyst and carnelian. What I love about this necklace is not only that's the perfect length {18"}, but I've actually been able to wear it with both red and pink. I'm not sure how, but the carnelian stone seems to change a bit depending on what colors it's next too. It is a petite necklace but Sheyna carries both statement necklaces and delicate ones - so whichever style is your preference, I'm sure you will find one you love.

SPECIAL OFFER for ALL readers of my blog - when shopping at Sheyna, simply use the coupon code sheyna20 to receive 20 percent off any purchase.

And, lastly, I have to leave you with the lovely way your package from Sheyna will arrive . . .

above photos taken with my iphone {in the car as I couldn't wait to open the package}

PS: While I was gifted a Sheyna necklace, I was not in any way paid
to make an endorsement, I simply wrote how I feel about the product.

Very happy to welcome Christine to the blog this morning - some of you may already know Christine, but if you don't, she is the associate editor of The Best Wedding Sites Magazine as well as the travel editor for this blog. She recently headed down to the Poconos for a media stay with her husband and I will now turn the blog over to Christine who will tell you all about the venue she stayed at and her weekend away.

---

Cove Haven Resort, nestled in the Poconos Mountains near Lakeville, PA, is one of 3 sister properties of Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts and is the perfect location for a couple's retreat. My husband and I were recently invited to stay as guests at this all-inclusive property, which included accomodations in one of their premier suites (The Champagne Tower), daily complimentary breakfast & dinner as well as a wide array of activities and live entertainment. We were also invited to an exclusive tour of the property to see the different suites and ammentities they offer.

Cove Haven is situated on 136 acres of beautiful property and features 256 luxury suites as well as a vast selection of indoor and outdoor activities. Upon our check-in, we were greeted by exceptionally friendly staff and given the daily Hot Spot brochure which outlined the resorts daily activities, dining options and special events. This was a great resource in helping us plan our day so that we could make the most of our stay at the resort. We proceeded to our suite to unpack we were quite impressed when we opened our door to see a 7 foot Champagne Glass Whirlpool bath, private heart-shaped swimming pool, fireplace and sauna all included in our room. Truly unique!

Since it was such a beautiful day, we spent most of our afternoon walking the property and enjoying the on-site activities and entertainment before we headed to our 5 course Saturday evening dinner experience "Strip Night" (a cute play on words). Although group seating was available, we opted for a private table and enjoyed a truly romantic and delicious meal which included fine wine, shrimp cocktail, salads, steaks and of course dessert! There was even an instrumentalist that came to our table to serenade us which was very romantic. 

Although we did not experience any weddings taking place during our stay, Cove Haven does offer various Wedding Packages to fit every style (and budget) as well as Honeymoon Packages that can be customized to suit your needs. It is said that nearly 65,000 couples, both honeymooners and vacationers, visit the three Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts (Cove Haven, Paradise Stream and Pocono Palace) per year! There are also more than 80,000 members enrolled in the exclusive Pocono Mountain Resorts "Forever Lovers Club", which is available to guests who have visited the property three or more times.

We truly enjoyed our experience at Cove Haven, and found it to be a great place to relax and enjoy each other, meet new people and re-kindle romance.

I have to say that I'm in LOVE with my Madison iPhone 4 case. I am so lucky to have been able to receive one - it's been on my iPhone since the day it arrived. My original case had broken and then my hubby let me use his which was simply clear plastic and super slippery. Thank goodness nothing ever happened to my phone, but it had dropped many times with that case on. Since the Madison case from Case-Mate is leather, not only does it add padding to the phone, but it's also not slippery at all. This iPhone case features genuine Swarovski crystals embedded in a quilted leather pattern and comes in 4 color choices {black, cream, blue and pink}. I have the cream color and was a bit worried about it getting dirty from holding it - but so far, there's not a spec of dirt on it.

The iPhone 4 Madison Case retails for $69.99 and would make the perfect gift for not only the bride but also for her bridesmaids.

PS: While I was gifted an iPhone 4 Madison Case, I was not in any way paid
to make an endorsement, I simply wrote how I feel about the product.